Singapore issues update on Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship ahead of arrival in Tenerife
The Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship is due to arrive in Tenerife (AP)
Two Singaporean men, aged 67 and 65, who were on board the MV Hondius cruise ship, have tested negative for hantavirus, including the Andes virus, according to Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).
The duo will undergo a 30-day quarantine and further testing as a precaution, followed by 45 days of phone surveillance, despite the CDA stating the risk to the general public in Singapore remains low.
Three people – a Dutch couple and a German national – have died from the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius, with five confirmed and three suspected cases reported, including individuals who returned to the UK.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is conducting detailed investigations, including laboratory testing and epidemiological studies, to understand the virus’s spread and is sequencing the virus from the current outbreak.
The cruise ship is expected to arrive in Tenerife, Canary Islands on Sunday, where Spanish authorities will perform careful evacuations of over 140 passengers and crew, with the UK and US also sending planes to evacuate their citizens.
