Dozens Of Passengers Left Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship After 1st Fatality

ATLANTIC OCEAN – More than two dozen passengers, from at least 12 different countries, left a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak without contact tracing, nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board.

The news raised concerns that the virus could spread as travelers returned home, although experts say the risk to the wider public is considered low as hantavirus isn’t easily transmitted between people.

The Dutch Health Ministry said a woman who was not on the ship was being tested for hantavirus and being kept in an isolated ward in an Amsterdam hospital after showing symptoms. The woman was part of a flight crew and had contact with an infected passenger on the plane.