Cruise ship with hantavirus cases to be disinfected in Rotterdam

The cruise ship MV Hondius, where hantavirus infections were detected, is expected to arrive at the port of Rotterdam on May 18, Reuters reported.

Dutch authorities are preparing measures to disinfect the vessel and quarantine arrangements for 25 crew members and two medical workers remaining on board.

Special quarantine facilities have already been prepared for some foreign crew members, though it is not yet clear whether they will spend the recommended 42-day isolation period there.

The WHO was first notified on May 2 of an outbreak of severe respiratory illness on the ship. Nine cases were reported on board, six of which were laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infection caused by Andes virus. No new deaths have been reported since May 2.