"This is not coronavirus, this is a very different virus."
A global contact-tracing effort is underway after a hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius left three people dead and prompted health agencies in several countries to try to track down passengers who had already returned home.
According to Reuters, three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — have died in the outbreak. So far, five cases have been confirmed, and three more are suspected, according to the World Health Organization.
The ship made several stops before the virus was identified, including a stop in St. Helena on April 24, where passengers from at least 12 countries disembarked. The first confirmed case in the outbreak was reported in early May, which means public health officials are now working backward to identify who may have been exposed and where they traveled next.
WHO officials said the strain detected in several patients is the Andean strain of hantavirus, noted Reuters, which in rare cases can spread between humans. Still, the agency stressed that this is not some repeat of the early days of COVID-19.
"This is not coronavirus, this is a very different virus," WHO director of epidemic and pandemic management Maria Van Kerkhove said at a press conference.
Authorities in the United States, Canada, Singapore, and multiple European countries have begun monitoring or testing people who were on the cruise or who had close contact with sick passengers. Some travelers are asymptomatic and isolating as a precaution, while others have been hospitalized for testing and care.
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The ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, told Reuters it has been trying to determine which passengers and crew boarded or disembarked at different stops since March 20. The ship is headed to the Canary Islands, where dozens of remaining passengers are expected to disembark.
Jake Rosmarin, one of the remaining passengers on board, provided an update in an emotional Instagram video. "There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home," he said.
This is the kind of public health story that can sound more alarming than the immediate risk actually is. Officials are taking the situation seriously because cruise travel can quickly spread possible exposures across many countries.
The spread of vector-borne diseases is also fueled by environmental destruction. Deforestation, urbanization, and rising temperatures bring humans and animals closer together, increasing the likelihood of disease transmission.
According to Reuters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is closely monitoring the situation and considers the current risk to Americans extremely low.
The ship operator said all passengers who disembarked in St. Helena have already been contacted. Dutch authorities are also conducting daily health checks on crew and passengers who helped care for one of the sick travelers.
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