As the MV Hondius prepares to dock at the Canary Islands on Sunday, countries are preparing to repatriate passengers in a way that mitigates any risk of the disease spreading further.
Three people have died in the outbreak, while eight are suspected to have contracted hantavirus, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Spain’s minister for health, Monica Garcia, said once in Tenerife, all non-Spanish citizens who are still healthy will be repatriated to their countries, while the 14 Spanish passengers will be quarantined in a military hospital in Madrid. Those still on board were not presenting any symptoms of the disease, she added.
But what happens once these Irish citizens are repatriated? Many aspects are still being decided, health officials have said.
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Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the State is still in the “gathering information” stage, but is working closely with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
“When the ship gets to Tenerife, patients, passengers will be assessed as to what is their medical status ... Are they symptomatic? Do they have any issues? And it is only then the decisions will be made about where they would be transferred and what quarantine period would be necessary,” she said.
Dr Gerald Barry, deputy director of the UCD One Health Centre, said incubation for these viruses can last from a week to a couple of months, and this will have to be kept in mind after their arrival home.
“So all passengers and staff on the boats will need to be tested for infection, symptoms alone cannot be relied upon for presence of the virus and once confirmed uninfected, they should be allowed to disembark, with close follow-up monitoring for two to three months by local public health officials,” he said. “Those that are infected should be monitored and treated appropriately.”
Though there is caution and planning, there is little sense of panic. There are several reasons why experts – national and international – are assured that this is vastly different from the Covid-19 pandemic.
First, it’s important to remember that in the early days of 2020, Covid-19 was a complete unknown. Health officials knew very little about what it was or how it behaved. Hantavirus is different. Experts know exactly what is required to stem further spread.
Furthermore, while human-to-human transmission can happen with this variant of the virus, it is not common. Maria van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic management at the WHO, said “very close contact” is required for it to spread.
“Whether it’s sharing a bunk room or sharing a cabin, providing medical care, for example, [that is] very, very different to Covid very different to influenza,” she said.
