WHO head tells countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases | Hantavirus

Authorities in Paris said a French woman who caught the virus on the MV Hondius ship had the most severe form of the disease and was put on a ventilator, while the head of the World Health Organization told countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it showed by taking over the stricken cruise ship and called on authorities to follow WHO advice and recommendations, including a 42-day quarantine and continuous monitoring of high-risk contacts.

“There is currently no sign that we are seeing the beginning of a larger outbreak, but of course the situation may change and it is possible that we will see more cases in the coming weeks, given the long incubation period of the virus,” he said at a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

The MV Hondius, en route from Argentina to Cape Verde, found itself at the center of the outbreak after three passengers, a Dutch couple and a German citizen, died from the virus. Although usually spread by wild rodents, hantavirus can in rare cases be transmitted from person to person through close contact.

WHO has so far confirmed nine cases of the Andean variant of the virus; These include a French woman and a US citizen who tested positive after being evacuated from the ship.

Health officials in Paris said late Tuesday that the French patient was admitted to intensive care with “the most severe form of cardiopulmonary presentation.”

Dr Xavier Lescure told reporters the 65-year-old had pre-existing conditions but did not give further details. “We hope he uses artificial lungs and blood bypass to help him get through this stage,” he said.

The Spanish Ministry of Health said that one of the 14 Spaniards evacuated from the ship and quarantined in a military hospital in Madrid tested positive for hantavirus and showed symptoms.

The statement said, “It has been confirmed that the patient whose test was temporarily positive yesterday tested positive for hantavirus.” “The patient presented yesterday with low-grade fever and mild respiratory symptoms, but is currently in a stable condition and does not show obvious clinical deterioration.”

Speaking alongside Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, Tedros said more cases were likely to emerge due to the degree of interaction between passengers on the ship before the alarm was raised and the first case was confirmed in a passenger on May 2.

“We would have expected more cases because, as you may remember, the first case on the ship, the index case, was on April 6… [and] There was actually a lot of interaction with passengers. And as you know, the incubation period is six to eight weeks.

“So we expect more cases because of the interaction that happens while we’re still on the ship — especially before we start taking some of the infectious prevention measures — because of what happens during travel.”

Tedros stated that countries are now responsible for their citizens one by one after the evacuation and added: “I hope they will take care of the patients and passengers, help them and at the same time protect their citizens. This is our expectation.”

The UK’s Health Safety Agency said 10 people from remote South Atlantic islands linked to a cruise ship hantavirus outbreak would be brought to the UK if they contracted the disease.

Officials said the group, from the UK overseas territories of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha islands, were “brought to the UK to complete their self-isolation as a precautionary measure” after coming into contact with those affected.

It is not yet clear whether the group includes British citizens.

It comes as 20 British nationals from the MV Hondius prepare to leave the facility, along with a German resident in the UK and a Japanese passenger who is being held in isolation at Arrowe Park hospital on the Wirral.

The WHO chief also paid tribute to the Spanish government and people of Spain for intervening in the plight of those on board after authorities in Cape Verde refused to allow the ship to dock. More than 120 passengers and crew were evacuated from Tenerife in a carefully coordinated operation on Sunday and Monday.

“I want to thank Spain, and especially Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, for the outstanding leadership and coordination,” he said. “I know it is a model and I hope other countries will learn from it – not just the obligation part, but also the compassion and solidarity that Spain has shown.” He added that in a “divided and divisive world,” it is important to “kindness and look out for each other.”

Sánchez echoed this sentiment, saying: “This world does not need more selfishness or more fear. What it needs is countries that show solidarity and want to move forward.”

The Prime Minister also expressed his condolences to the family once again. Guardia Civilian officer who died of heart attack While participating in the evacuation on Sunday.

Despite objections from the regional government of the Canary Islands, Spain’s central government allowed the MV Hondius to anchor in the port in Tenerife and then dock briefly while it supervised the evacuation operation.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said on Tuesday that it is not currently clear whether the hantavirus strain causing the epidemic has mutated, but officials are “somewhat relieved.”

Rist told the National Assembly: “There are things we don’t know about this virus. We don’t have the full sequence of the virus yet, which allows us to say for sure today, even though we’re pretty sure to date that this virus hasn’t mutated yet.”

The last planes carrying passengers and crew left the Canary Islands on Monday night and arrived in the Netherlands early on Tuesday.

Dutch officials said all 26 passengers on the first evacuation flight tested negative for the virus. Later, two more repatriation flights landed in the Netherlands and 28 more evacuees will go into quarantine.

A hospital in the Netherlands quarantined a dozen staff members on Tuesday after the urine and blood of a patient with hantavirus were processed without using the required protocols. The spokesperson of Radboudumc hospital in Nijmegen stated that 12 people will be quarantined for six weeks, and that the risk of infection is very low and patient care continues uninterrupted.

Having refueled and restocked in Tenerife, MV Hondius is now returning to port in Rotterdam with a crew of 25, plus a doctor and nurse.

Reuters contributed to this report