WHO confirms dangerous Andes variant in cruise ship outbreak; LUMC prepares for patients

Two individuals aboard the cruise ship Hondius tested positive for hantavirus and were carrying the Andes variant, according to South Africa’s health authorities. Officials noted that, unlike many other strains, this version of the virus can spread between people when they are in close proximity.

A woman from the Netherlands later died after becoming sick aboard the vessel, while a British passenger who also fell ill was hospitalized in South Africa and remains in intensive care. Details about the Andes strain were presented to parliament on Wednesday.

Cruise operator OceanWide says that three ill passengers will be evacuated later on Wednesday morning, according to local time. The company also noted that Cape Verde is three hours behind the Netherlands.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the three patients will be transferred to the Netherlands for treatment.

The Leiden University Medical Center says it is getting ready to potentially admit one or more patients. According to a spokesperson, the hospital has both capacity and specialist knowledge to treat such cases if needed.

A spokesperson said it is unclear whether an official request has been made to receive a patient. University Medical Center Utrecht said on Tuesday that it had not been asked to activate the disaster hospital, and a spokesperson confirmed that nothing has changed since then.

Medical microbiologist Jean-Luc Murk said on the program Pauw & De Wit that a patient might also be transferred to the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen. A spokesperson for that hospital said it is “logical” that the hospital is being considered. “We at Radboudumc are equipped to receive and treat a patient with a serious infectious disease. We are calmly waiting. If necessary, we can switch quickly.”

Spanish public broadcaster TVE reports, based on information from the country’s health ministry, that the Dutch cruise ship will dock in Tenerife. The head of the Canary Islands’ regional government has voiced opposition, warning of possible health risks in comments to COPE on Wednesday. The ship is currently off the coast of Cape Verde, where authorities have not permitted it to dock.

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, says he rejects Spain’s decision to allow the ship to dock. “I cannot allow the ship to dock in the Canary Islands,” he told COPE. “This decision is not based on technical criteria, nor have we been given sufficient information,” Clavijo says. He wants to speak with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as soon as possible.

The Hondius is expected to reach Tenerife within a few days, as it remains positioned offshore near Cape Verde for now.

Swiss officials report that a hantavirus patient is currently receiving care in a hospital in Zürich. Officials have not disclosed the patient’s current condition. However, health authorities emphasized in a statement that the situation poses no risk to the wider public in Switzerland and that additional cases are unlikely, even though the man had contact with others.

After traveling back to Switzerland with his spouse at the end of April, the man sought medical advice by phone when he became ill and was subsequently directed to a hospital. His wife remains symptom-free and is isolating as a precaution.

Earlier, the World Health Organization indicated that the virus may have spread between individuals on the Dutch cruise ship. Three passengers, among them two from the Netherlands, died after becoming sick, and a total of at least seven cases have been confirmed to date.

The WHO suggests the outbreak may have started with a Dutch couple who both died. The husband passed away in mid-April, and his wife became sick while accompanying his body home. She collapsed during a layover in South Africa and died in the hospital. Another crew member from the United Kingdom developed symptoms toward the end of April and was airlifted to South Africa for treatment. The WHO are searching for passengers who boarded the same flight as the woman.