Danish passenger from hantavirus ship placed in home isolation

A Danish passenger who disembarked from a cruise ship linked to multiple hantavirus deaths is in self-isolation in Denmark but shows no symptoms, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The Danish Patient Safety Authority is monitoring the individual, who left the Hondius vessel on April 24 on the island of Saint Helena, according to a statement from the agency’s chief physician, Anne Hempel-Jørgensen.

“We are following the situation closely, and for now, the agreement is that the person must remain in home isolation,” Hempel-Jørgensen said. She emphasised that the passenger poses no current risk to others, as they have not shown symptoms and had no close contact with infected individuals on board.

If symptoms develop, the person will be transported to a pre-selected hospital department equipped to handle potential hantavirus cases. “We are doing this out of caution,” the chief physician added. “Space must be available at the department, and the person would be transported there if needed.”

The authority is in regular phone contact with the passenger, who returned to Denmark in late April. The individual has been instructed on the disease and necessary precautions.

The Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina on April 1. A 70-year-old Dutch man fell ill on board on April 6 and died five days later. His 69-year-old wife later disembarked on Saint Helena and was flown to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital on April 26. Both were confirmed to have hantavirus.

A German woman on the same ship later showed symptoms and died on May 2. Her age has not been disclosed.