The MV Hondius, a cruise ship owned by Dutch Oceanwide Expeditions, has been cleared to resume its scheduled voyages starting June 13 after completing thorough cleaning and disinfection following a hantavirus outbreak onboard [1, 2].
The outbreak occurred during a voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Verde, leading to 13 confirmed cases of hantavirus, including 3 passenger deaths [1, 2]. Most passengers disembarked at Tenerife in the Canary Islands and were flown home, while the ship continued to Rotterdam, arriving on May 18. There, the remaining crew members were quarantined pending inspection [1, 2].
Hantavirus spreads mainly through airborne particles from rodent urine and feces. There is no vaccine or specific treatment, making containment critical [1, 2]. After extensive sanitation efforts, a final inspection on May 29 confirmed that the cleaning had been effective.
The Rotterdam public health agency stated, "From a public health perspective, there are no longer any obstacles to putting the Hondius back to sea" [2]. The company plans to restart voyages on June 13 as originally scheduled [1, 2].
