The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) said today (the 7th) that previously, due to a cluster of Andes hantavirus cases on the Dutch cruise ship “MV Hondius”, after notification through the World Health Organization (World Health Organization, WHO) and the International Health Regulations (International Health Regulations, IHR) mechanisms, our country identified a New Zealand passenger who had been on the ship and entered the country on May 7. Following expert advice, the CDC arranged for the case to be placed in a single hospital room for enhanced self‑health management and health monitoring until 12:00 a.m. on June 6, with the enhanced self‑health management lifted on June 7, and our IHR liaison notified WHO and New Zealand’s IHR liaison.
The CDC said that the passenger showed no fever, cough, shortness of breath, or any other symptoms suggestive of hantavirus infection during the monitoring period, and underwent four tests on May 14, May 20, May 27 and June 3. The tests included Andes hantavirus nucleic acid testing (PCR) and serum IgM, IgG antibody testing, all of which were negative and the health condition remained stable. The CDC emphasized that the passenger tested negative and completed the 42‑day enhanced self‑health management monitoring, posing no transmission risk to the domestic community.
The CDC explained that the Andes hantavirus cluster on the Dutch cruise ship “MV Hondius” had, as of June 2, reported a total of 13 cases (11 confirmed, 2 probable), including 3 deaths, resulting in a case‑fatality rate of 23%. Cross‑border tracing efforts are ongoing; as of May 22, more than 600 contacts had been traced, of whom 53% were high‑risk contacts. WHO assesses the global risk level of this outbreak as low. The CDC will continue to monitor the situation through WHO, IHR and other international cooperation mechanisms, and will adjust related prevention and control measures in a timely manner according to the epidemic’s development.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Data compiled: Surveillance Unit
