New hantavirus case suspected on remote island; plans being made for Irish citizens to self-isolate after leaving cruise ship

"Authorities seek to trace passengers who disembarked before outbreak was detected Three people have died, eight believed to have contracted virus Ship heading to Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands Human-to-human transmission is uncommon Dutch media says air stewardess in contact with passenger taken to hospital"

"The British health security agency did not disclose further details of the new suspected case on the world's remotest inhabited island, home to only around 200 people, where the cruise ship made a stop on April 15. Three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - have died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius. Four others confirmed to be infected, two Britons, a Dutch and a Swiss national, are being treated in hospitals in the Netherlands, South Africa and Switzerland."

"A Dutch woman died shortly after she had left the ship on April 24. She was the wife of 'patient zero', the Dutch man who died on the ship on April 11. The World Health Organisation said it would provide an update on the latest suspected and confirmed case numbers later on Friday. Ireland has not yet set a specific duration for quarantine, but the HSE says self-isolation will take place "for a period" and that passengers will be actively monitored."

"A HSE spokesperson said passengers will receive "optimal patient care and safety" and that all measures are being taken to "protect broader public health." The HSE said decisions on where passengers will quarantine will be made on a case by case basis and if they become symptomatic they will be assessed and treated as appropriate. There are understood to be two Irish passengers on board, and they have not been affected. Dutch health authorities said on Thursday two people who had been close to the woman before she was taken off a plane in Johannesburg on April 25, due to her deteriorating medical condition, had tested negative for the virus."

A suspected new case involves a cruise ship that stopped on April 15 at a remote inhabited island with about 200 residents. Three people have died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius, including a Dutch couple and a German national. Four confirmed infections are being treated in hospitals in the Netherlands, South Africa, and Switzerland, including two Britons, a Dutch national, and a Swiss national. A Dutch woman died after leaving the ship on April 24 and was the wife of the Dutch man who died on April 11. Authorities are tracing passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was detected, and Ireland is arranging self-isolation with active monitoring on a case-by-case basis. Two close contacts tested negative, including a flight attendant.

Read at Irish Independent