A British tourist has been detained by authorities and placed in quarantine after being found in a Milan bar. The man, in his 60s, had been on the same flight as Mirjam Schilperoord, a 69-year-old cruise ship passenger who died from hantavirus. The flight traveled from Saint Helena to Johannesburg. Schilperoord was the wife of patient zero Leo Schilperoord, 70, who boarded the MV Hondius cruise ship and visited a rubbish tip on a remote Argentine island. She fell ill during her next flight and died in a South African hospital.
The unnamed British holidaymaker and his traveling companion, who was not on the flight, were apprehended in Milan and taken to Sacco Hospital. Although they showed no symptoms, they were ordered to remain in quarantine until June 6, a 42-day isolation period.
Hantavirus Outbreak Escalates
The incident comes as a French hantavirus patient fights for her life in hospital, placed on an artificial lung. Doctors described the device as 'the final stage of supportive care,' noting the patient suffers a severe form of the virus causing life-threatening lung and heart failure.
There are now 11 reported cases linked to the outbreak, nine confirmed. Three people who were aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean have died from the rare but fatal disease.
WHO Warning
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, stated there are 'no signs' of a pandemic but warned that more cases could appear due to the long incubation period. He told a press conference in Madrid: 'Given the long incubation period of the virus, it's possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.'
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus, sometimes called the 'rat virus,' is a rare family of pathogens carried by rodents. There is no vaccine or cure. The virus spreads through contact with feces, urine, and saliva of infected rodents. Early symptoms resemble the flu, including fever, chills, and body aches, but can escalate to heart or lung failure.
The outbreak involves the Andes strain, endemic to South America, including Argentina, where the ship departed on April 1. Dr. Stathis Giotis, a lecturer at the University of Essex, told Metro that the Andes hantavirus is the only known strain that can spread from human to human, though such cases are rare.
Public Health Response
People evacuated from the cruise ship have been advised to self-isolate for 42 days. The WHO recommends active follow-up with daily checks for symptoms like fever and muscle aches. Experts reiterate that transmission is rare and this should not be treated like COVID-19.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has fully sequenced the hantavirus genome. Andreas Hoefer, who oversees EU reference laboratories, said: 'There is no data to suggest that this virus is behaving differently in terms of transmissibility or severity from any known virus circulating in certain regions of the world.'
Unanswered Questions
Despite years of research, many questions remain about hantavirus, including exactly how it spreads, how long it can survive outside a host, and why it can be mild for some and severe for others. The Andes virus has an incubation period of up to eight weeks and a mortality rate of up to 50%, according to the WHO.
Early medical attention can increase the chance of survival, but there is no specific treatment or cure.
