Ireland is “well prepared” for dealing with any suspected case of hantavirus, a leading specialist in infectious diseases has said.
Prof Christine Kelly said she did not believe the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius would spread beyond the vessel, and people needed to be reassured that the virus was not the same as Covid-19.
“It’s a very different virus [to Covid-19] and, worst-case scenario, if we did have a case in Ireland we’re well prepared for it and the National Isolation Unit is in a good place to be able to deal with it,” Kelly told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland on Thursday.
Kelly is a consultant in infectious diseases at the National Isolation Unit at the Mater hospital in Dublin, the national referral centre for hazardous infectious diseases in the Republic.
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Two Irish nationals are among the passengers aboard the MV Hondius, which is en route to the Canary Islands following the deaths of a number of passengers from the virus.
Kelly pointed out the outbreak of the Andes variation of the hantavirus had been “quite inefficient” in its human-to-human transmission.
“So you usually have maybe one or two transmission cycles passed from one person to the next and maybe one other person before that outbreak comes to an end.”
This means there were usually a maximum of 10-20 people affected with an outbreak, “which is fairly in keeping with what we’re seeing on the boat at the minute. You have to remember there’s 149 people on that boat. We only have eight suspected or confirmed infections.”
The Department of Health said plans are being developed to repatriate the two Irish passengers and to provide for their treatment and care during any required period of quarantine.
It said the situation with regard to the MV Hondius is “evolving” but is being “monitored closely” by both the department and the National Health Protection Office in the Health Service Executive.
The department added any response from it and the National Health Protection Office would be based on recommendations provided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation.
“I understand that people are afraid. I mean Covid-19 had a devastating impact in societies both in Ireland and all around the world. People are going to be hyper aware of that,” said Kelly.
“Hantavirus is not a new virus and there have been human infections of Andes virus since the 1990s and so we do have information on it...
“Human-to-human transmission is quite rare, it only really happens with very close contact so there are differences from Covid, and the incubation period is longer. What we do also know at the moment is that everybody on board the ship at the moment seems to be asymptomatic. It’s really important to draw that difference because when people are worried about cases and infections that’s very different from somebody who may be a contact or may not be a contact and isn’t sick at the moment.”
Robust plans were already in place for all possibilities – whether the two Irish nationals had symptoms or did not have symptoms. The guidance from the ECDC was that the people be quarantined. There were tests available for the virus and also molecular tests, said Kelly.
Three passengers on the Hondius, which left Argentina more than a month ago, are believed to have died of hantavirus, a rare condition usually caused by the inhalation of fumes emitted by rodent droppings or urine. Two of the victims were Dutch, the other German.
[ Hantavirus-hit cruise: Officials make plans to repatriate two Irish passengersOpens in new window ]
