An Israeli national has been diagnosed with hantavirus after developing symptoms following a stay in Eastern Europe, local media reported, as health authorities in the United Kingdom and the United States heighten surveillance following a separate cluster of cases on the cruise ship MV Hondius.
The patient’s condition is described as stable. No intensive care treatment or strict isolation has been required. The diagnosis was made initially through an antibody test indicating exposure to the virus, and subsequently confirmed by PCR. Details made public do not allow identification of the patient, their place of residence or the medical facility where they were treated.
Health authorities said the Israeli case is not linked to the Hondius cluster.
The MV Hondius cluster
Eight confirmed hantavirus cases and three deaths have been recorded on the MV Hondius. The ship is expected to reach the Canary Islands this weekend carrying approximately 150 passengers. Some passengers had already disembarked in late April during a stop at Saint Helena in the Atlantic.
The strain identified on the vessel is the Andes strain, which in rare cases has been reported to transmit between people following close, prolonged contact — unlike most hantavirus strains, which are transmitted primarily through rodents.
The WHO assesses the risk to the general public as low.
UK response
Robin May, Chief Scientific Adviser of the UK Health Security Agency, said two passengers from the ship currently in the UK have been placed in home self-isolation, with authorities conducting a large-scale contact tracing operation.
May also confirmed that a British national was among three passengers evacuated by air from the ship and transferred to the Netherlands for hospital treatment. “He will remain under medical monitoring for some time. I am very pleased that he is now in hospital and receiving the necessary treatment,” he told the BBC.
US response
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are closely monitoring American passengers who were on board. The State Department said it is coordinating what it described as a whole-of-government response, including direct communication with passengers, diplomatic coordination and cooperation with national and international health authorities.
“At this time the risk to the American public remains extremely low,” US authorities said.
The Georgia state health department said it is monitoring two residents who were on board the Hondius, neither of whom is showing symptoms.
About hantavirus
Hantavirus is a family of viruses transmitted primarily by rodents. Human infection typically occurs through inhalation of microscopic particles from the dried urine, faeces or saliva of infected mice or rats, particularly during cleaning of storage areas, holiday homes or enclosed spaces where rodents have been present. Infection through bites or scratches is less common.
Early symptoms can resemble those of influenza — fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, severe fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. In some strains, severe pulmonary complications may follow, including breathlessness, cough, fluid in the lungs, low blood pressure and cardiac stress. Strains found primarily in Europe and Asia can cause haemorrhagic fever with kidney damage.
There is no proven antiviral treatment for most hantavirus infections; management is supportive, with monitoring and, where necessary, oxygen or renal support.
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