Hantavirus-hit cruise ship: Two Singapore passengers test negative

Singapore health authorities confirmed that two residents who were aboard the hantavirus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius have tested negative for the rare respiratory disease, according to local media reports on Saturday citing the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA), News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.

The two men, aged 65 and 67, had traveled on the cruise ship during an outbreak involving the Andes strain of hantavirus. They were also on the same April 25 flight from St Helena to Johannesburg as a confirmed hantavirus patient who later died in South Africa, according to Channel News Asia. The infected individual did not travel to Singapore.

The CDA said laboratory testing conducted on multiple samples from both men found no evidence of hantavirus infection, including the Andes virus strain.

As a precaution, both individuals remain isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases after arriving in Singapore on May 2 and May 6, respectively. Authorities said they will undergo a 30-day quarantine period starting from their last exposure date, followed by further testing before being cleared.

Officials added that the men will be placed under phone-based surveillance for a total monitoring period of 45 days, which corresponds to the maximum incubation period for hantavirus exposure.

The CDA emphasized that the risk to the general public in Singapore remains low, while confirming that monitoring efforts are ongoing.

The outbreak linked to the MV Hondius has so far resulted in five confirmed cases, including three deaths, among passengers associated with the voyage, according to World Health Organization-related reporting. The vessel carried around 150 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities and had departed from Argentina before reporting a cluster of respiratory illnesses while sailing near Cape Verde.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev