Key Takeaways
- It typically takes around three weeks for symptoms to emerge, but it can take up to 45 days. Therefore, more hantavirus cases in the coming days are possible, according to WHO.
- The remaining passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and some of the crew were disembarking Monday.
- American passengers are being monitored in Nebraska and Georgia.
The World Health Organization on Monday said that more hantavirus cases from the deadly outbreak on a cruise ship could come up in the next several days due to the virus’ lengthy incubation time.
WHO on Monday reported nine cases of hantavirus, seven of which were confirmed, including three deaths. The total does not include one person who had an inconclusive lab result, according to the organization.
The type of hantavirus involved in these infections, the Andes virus, can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which affects the lungs.
It typically takes about three weeks for hantavirus symptoms to start, though it can be as long as 40-45 days, WHO’s Dr. Olivier le Polain said during a briefing on Monday.
The remaining passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and some of the crew were disembarking Monday, according to WHO, though more than 30 crew members will remain onboard to take the cruise ship to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Those leaving the cruise ship are departing the Canary Islands on specially arranged flights – not commercial flights.
Those who have departed the cruise will need to monitor for symptoms for weeks, and people are most contagious when their symptoms first start, according to WHO.
“We can see cases again coming up in the next few days, perhaps even next week, and that’s why we need to remain vigilant,” le Polain said.
American passengers are being monitored in Nebraska and Georgia.
“All individuals in both facilities will receive clinical assessment and appropriate care and support based on their condition and needs,” the Health and Human Services Department said on Monday.
Sixteen individuals are in Nebraska, while two others are in Atlanta. One passenger in Nebraska who tested positive for the virus on the cruise ship “is doing well and not having symptoms at this time,” said Dr. Angela Hewlett, the University of Nebraska Medical Center medical director. Another passenger in Atlanta is experiencing symptoms of hantavirus.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. projected confidence on the matter on Monday, saying: “We have this under control, and we’re not worried about it.”