ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Three dead and three other passengers in serious condition aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, in navigation to the Canary Islands, for a suspected Hantavirus infection. One of the cases would have already been confirmed after the emergency shelter in Johannesburg.
To intervene is Paolo Meo, director of the Clinic of the Traveler Cesmet – Artemisia Lab in Rome. “Hantavirus is a serious disease but long known by tropical medicine. The contagion occurs mainly through contact with wild rodents or contaminated environments, especially in rural areas of South America,” explains Meo.
According to the first reconstructions, many passengers would have visited areas of Patagonia and the Andes before boarding. The attention of experts is now focused on the possible presence of the Andean strain, one of the few associated with potential interhuman transmissions.
The WHO has started an epidemiological investigation while the ship continues to the Canary Islands, where health protocols will be scattered. “It needs caution, but not alarmism. Prevention and proper health information remain essential, especially for those travelling in endemic areas,” Meo concludes.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
