HEALTH authorities in Switzerland and France are monitoring a growing hantavirus situation linked to the virus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship, after several passengers were infected with a rare strain that can, in some cases, spread between people.
The World Health Organization confirmed today that the outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is unusual because it can spread through very close contact between people, something most hantaviruses do not do.
In Switzerland, the Federal Office of Public Health confirmed that a former passenger is being treated at University Hospital Zurich after developing severe breathing problems and testing positive for the virus.
Doctors say the patient is isolated and contact tracing is now underway, meaning officials are checking who he may have been in contact with to make sure no further infections have happened inside the country.
French authorities are trying to identify and screen travellers who may have been on the ship or travelled through France before the outbreak was detected, as the vessel carried passengers from more than 20 countries.
At least three deaths have now been linked to the outbreak, including two Dutch elderly passengers and a German citizen, who passed away on board.
Experts believe the virus likely began through contact with infected rodent droppings during stops in South America, but say close living conditions on the ship may have allowed limited spread between passengers, which is why strict quarantine measures are now being prepared in the Canary Islands.
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