Health authorities in Netherlands are taking precautionary measures after a hospital quarantined 12 employees over possible exposure to hantavirus.
The move comes as international officials continue monitoring an outbreak connected to the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, which has already resulted in multiple deaths and confirmed infections across several countries.
Radboud University Medical Center in the city of Nijmegen said 12 staff members were quarantined for six weeks after blood and urine samples from a hantavirus patient were handled without strict safety procedures.
Hospital officials stressed that the risk of infection remains “very low” and said patient care services have continued without disruption.
The infected patient, who had travelled aboard the MV Hondius, was admitted to the hospital on May 7.
“We will carefully investigate the course of events to learn from this so that it can be prevented in the future,” said Bertine Lahuis, chair of the hospital’s executive board.
WHO confirms more cases
The World Health Organization increased the number of confirmed cases linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus to nine.
The updated total followed reports of positive tests involving a Spanish national and a U.S. citizen.
In addition to confirmed infections, the WHO also identified two suspected cases:
- One individual who died before testing could be conducted
- Another person on Tristan da Cunha, where testing facilities were unavailable
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said all suspected cases had been isolated under strict medical supervision.
“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” Tedros said during a press conference in Madrid.
However, he warned that additional cases could emerge in the coming weeks because of the virus’s long incubation period.
Hondius Cruise Ship Returns to Netherlands
After disembarking passengers in Spain’s Canary Islands, the MV Hondius departed for the Netherlands late Monday with 25 crew members, along with a doctor and nurse onboard.
The vessel is expected to arrive in the Netherlands by May 17, according to ship owner Oceanwide Expeditions.
The outbreak has already claimed three lives:
- A Dutch couple
- A German national
Hantavirus is usually transmitted through wild rodents, though the Andes strain can spread between humans in rare close-contact situations.
Spain confirmed late Monday that a Spanish passenger quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid tested positive for the virus.
Officials said the patient developed fever and breathing difficulties but remained in stable condition.
Meanwhile, France reported that a French passenger from the ship had tested positive after the vessel docked in the Canary Islands.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the patient was in intensive care but stable.
In the United States, health officials confirmed that 18 passengers from the cruise ship had been flown home and quarantined, with one passenger currently being treated in a Nebraska biocontainment unit after testing weakly positive.
During the Madrid briefing, Tedros thanked Pedro Sanchez for allowing the ship to dock and passengers to disembark in Spain.
Sanchez used the occasion to call for stronger support for international health institutions.
“We need international cooperation and organisations like the WHO to be provided with the resources to realise their work,” he said.
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