A hantavirus outbreak reported aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius is significantly less transmissible than COVID-19, according to Dutch health officials treating one of the infected patients.
Leiden University Medical Centre confirmed that its infectious diseases unit is currently managing a patient transferred from the vessel and is prepared to handle additional cases if necessary.
Karin Ellen Veldkamp, head of infectious diseases at the centre, said in an interview with AFP that the situation is being carefully managed under strict isolation protocols.
Asked whether the outbreak could resemble COVID-19 in terms of spread, she dismissed the comparison.
“No, it is not like that. It is not easily transmissible from person to person,” Veldkamp said.
She added that while limited person-to-person transmission is suspected in the current cluster on board the ship, it is far less efficient than respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.
“We suspect that has happened on the boat… but it is not like Covid, transmission is much more difficult,” she explained.
Hantaviruses are typically spread through contact with infected rodents or contaminated environments, and human transmission is considered rare.
Veldkamp declined to share detailed clinical information about the patient admitted on Wednesday night but said the hospital is fully equipped to handle such infections.
Patients are treated in isolation rooms under strict infection control procedures, with trained medical staff providing care while minimising exposure risk.
“Our principle is that we simply provide good care to the patient. We don’t refuse to go in. We are just well trained to do that in a safe way,” she said.
According to Veldkamp, patients remain in isolation while symptomatic and are only discharged after testing negative once their condition improves.
“We do not know exactly how long someone can carry the virus. But we assume that once someone is feeling better, they are no longer contagious,” she added.
The infectious diseases unit at Leiden University Medical Centre regularly treats patients with communicable diseases and has additional capacity available in case of further cases.
Veldkamp also noted that multiple hospitals in the Netherlands are capable of managing similar cases, allowing for shared response capacity if needed.
The situation on the MV Hondius remains under monitoring by health authorities as investigations continue into how the outbreak began.
