Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak docks in Rotterdam

Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak docks in Rotterdam11 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleWatch: Hantavirus-hit cruise ship and crew arrive in RotterdamMV Hondius, the Dutch cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, has docked at its final destination in Rotterdam.Only the ship's crew were aboard for the last leg of the journey, as all passengers docked off the ship in the Canary Islands between 10 and 11 May. Rotterdam port harbour master René de Vries said 25 mobile homes kitted out with catering and satellite communications would be available for the crew to self-isolate in.Three people - a Dutch couple and a German woman - died after travelling on the ship, with two of them confirmed to have had the virus. The World Health Organization has so far reported 10 cases in total, eight confirmed and two suspected.Director of GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Yvonnes van Duijnhoven, said the ship's doctor and nurse had collected samples aboard. These will be tested on the ship's arrival and further tests will be carried out on Monday afternoon to check if the crew have hantavirus. Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents. While most hantaviruses do not pass from person to person, rare instances of human transmission have been documented with the Andes virus strain, which is the strain behind this outbreak.ReutersWorkers in protective gear were seen on board the MV Hondius after its arrival in RotterdamDe Vries said the port received a request to dock the cruise 10 days ago and, after contacting the regional health service, agreed the Dutch-flagged ship would be welcome.The port collaborated with health and local authorities ahead of MV Hondius' arrival, de Vries said.Now the ship is moored, "[it] will be properly cleaned and then she can leave again," he added.How are countries responding to hantavirus?EuropeCruise ships