Two Texans have returned to the United States from the MV Hondius, an expedition cruise ship in the grips of a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
Several passengers aboard the ship are confirmed to have contracted hantavirus and three have died as a result, the San Antonio Express News reports.
Texas Department of State Health Services officials confirm that two of the passengers were from the Lone Star State after hearing from officials at the Centers for Disease Control. The two Texans left the ship before the outbreak. While officials have confirmed that they are back in the United States they have not confirmed whether they have returned to Texas.
The passengers told public health officials that they are not experiencing symptoms and that they did not come in contact with any of the sick individuals on board, the Express-News reports.
“They have agreed to monitor themselves for symptoms with daily temperature checks and contact public health officials at any sign of a possible illness,” DSHS said, according to the daily.
However, officials declined to provide any further information to protect their identities.
The first passenger died on board on April 11. At the time, the captain announced the passenger’s death to gasps of shock from the rest of the guests, but attempted to assuage their fears by stating that the victim had died of “natural causes,” according to video shared from a passenger on the ship.
Later, the cause was found to be hantavirus, which is transmitted from infected rodents to humans but has a low transmission rate between humans.
The ship’s route, marketed to wildlife enthusiasts, included some of the most remote environments and islands around the Antarctic. Videos from ship passengers showed strict bio-safety protocols both disembarking from and returning to the ship, so as not to introduce invasive species inadvertently to the precious ecosystems they were visiting and avoid bringing unwanted biological hazards onto the ship.
As of Thursday, the Associated Press reports that at least 40 people from 12 countries have left the ship amid the outbreak. That includes a total of six Americans.
The ship is now on route to the Canary Islands with an expected arrival on Saturday or Sunday, with 140 passengers and crew members still on board, the AP reports.
Passengers on board shared videos on Instagram stating that morale has improved since they began moving again.
Inside Medicine reported Thursday that World Health Organization (WHO) officials said a flight attendant who came into contact with a now-deceased cruise ship passenger has tested negative for the virus. The development shows that, thus far, there are no confirmed cases of the virus passing to any humans who weren’t on board the ship.
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