German Passengers Evacuated from Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship

BERLIN:
Four German passengers have been evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius following a Hantavirus outbreak, said German public broadcaster ARD on its news website Tagesschau Monday.

After landing in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, on Sunday evening, they were met by specialists before being transported to Frankfurt, Xinhua news agency reported.

Upon arrival, the passengers will return to their respective home states for quarantine, said the report. One passenger is scheduled to be admitted to the Charite hospital in Berlin.

Apart from the four passengers, a 65-year-old German woman has already been admitted to a hospital in Duesseldorf. Authorities said she had close contact with another passenger who died on board from the virus, but so far no signs of infection have been detected.

According to the report, none of the returning passengers showed symptoms.

Meanwhile, twenty British nationals evacuated from the hantavirus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius were isolated in a northwest England hospital upon their return, as authorities stepped up outbreak containment and monitoring.

The passengers landed in Manchester earlier in the day before being transferred by bus to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, where they will remain under medical observation for 72 hours.

In a joint statement, local National Health Service (NHS) authorities said the group would stay in a “managed setting for clinical assessment and testing.” If they remain symptom-free, they will later be allowed to return home and continue self-isolation for a further 42 days.

The British government said all passengers and crew members returning from the MV Hondius would undergo a total of 45 days of isolation and monitoring. Follow-up work is also underway for individuals who may have been in contact with confirmed or suspected cases.