The individual, a man, was traveling on the Dutch-flagged ship, the Hondius, at the center of the outbreak.
He is being treated in a Zurich hospital after returning to Switzerland and responding to an email from the ship’s operator.
“In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is working with affected countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that potentially exposed people are monitored and any further spread of the disease is limited.“, the agency said in an article on X.
On Wednesday, three of the ship’s 147 passengers died since it crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina to its current berth off the coast of Cape Verde, according to the WHO.
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“At this stage, the overall risk to public health remains low,” Tedros stressed.
Shipping ship
Publicly available data indicates that the ship was built in Croatia and launched in June 2018. The Hondius is approximately 108 meters long and is listed under the ship identification number 9818709 with the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The ship has a capacity of 196 passengers and 72 crew members; it bears the name of the 17th century map publisher and engraver Jodocus Hondius.
The expedition ship’s maiden voyage in 2019 took it from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to the volcanic island of Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen in the Arctic Circle.
The United Nations agency said that victims may have been infected with the disease before boarding. So far, eight cases of infection have been reported, three of which were confirmed as Andean hantavirus. by laboratory tests.
On Tuesday, the WHO said one person was in intensive care in South Africa, although their condition was “improving.”
Work to identify the virus involved the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). The Pasteur Institute in Dakar and the Argentine National Administration of Health Laboratories and Institutes also provided “essential” support, WHO noted.
Patient care is ‘highest priority’
“WHO will continue to work with countries to ensure that patients, contacts, passengers and crew have the information and support they need to stay safe and prevent spread,” the agency said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the WHO said the “highest priority” was to evacuate the two sick passengers still on board “to ensure they receive the care they are receiving”.
Once the ship arrives in the Canary Islands, the agency’s Dr Maria Van Kerkhove explained that Spanish authorities would carry out a full epidemiological investigation and complete disinfection of the ship, before assessing the risk to passengers remaining on board.
“We’ve heard from quite a few people, you know, on the ship. We just want you to know that we’re working with the operators of the ship. We’re working with the countries that you’re coming from. We hear you. We know you’re scared.” said Dr Van Kerkhove, WHO’s acting director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.
As a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are implemented.
