“The situation remains stable. Passengers who got sick are receiving needed care, while others remain in quarantine,” Tedros added.
The outbreak of the rodent-borne disease was first reported on May 3 aboard the MV Hondius, which was carrying 150 passengers, and has caused three deaths. It triggered a global search for the cruise’s passengers who had already disembarked and activated disease-prevention measures across multiple countries.
European public health authorities coordinated the evacuation of all passengers and crew over the past two weeks from Tenerife and the Netherlands, helping them be repatriated, tested and placed under quarantine.
The ship, which had docked in Rotterdam, was set to depart for Vlissingen, in the Netherlands, but its departure was delayed after authorities said it needed additional cleaning, the boat’s tour operator said.
In total, 13 cases have been reported, including 11 confirmed and two probable. Spain reported the 13th case on Monday, saying the patient had been in isolation at the Gómez Ulla military hospital in Madrid. No deaths have been reported since May 2.
Other cases include a Dutch crew member, passengers from Switzerland, France, Canada, Spain and the U.K. The three deceased were a Dutch couple and a German woman.
Infected rats typically spread Hantavirus. The variant involved in this outbreak, the Andes subtype, is the only one known to spread between humans.
