Two Indian citizens are on board the cruise ship MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean. This is the same cruise ship on which Hantavirus has spread. According to BBC, so far five cases of Hantavirus infection have been confirmed on the ship and three people have died. At the same time, Dr. Karin Ellen Veldkamp, who is treating a Hantavirus patient admitted at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, has said that this virus is not like Corona. Talking to AFP, he said that it is not easy for Hantavirus to spread from person to person. According to the doctor, its transmission is much more difficult than Corona. This Dutch flag ship is going to Spain. It can reach Spain’s Canary Islands by May 10, where all the passengers on the ship will be tested. WHO said that the incident is serious, but at present the danger to the common people is considered to be low. Patients are being kept in isolation Doctor Karin Ellen Veldkamp said, in such cases, infected patients are kept in separate isolation rooms. They are looked after by well-trained staff and strict disease control protocols are followed. He said that patients are kept in isolation until they show symptoms. After their condition improves, they are tested. If the report is negative, isolation can be removed. According to the doctor, it is not yet clear how long a person can keep the virus in his body. The WHO chief said that the incubation period of Hantavirus can be up to six weeks. Therefore, there is a possibility of new cases emerging in future also. WHO has sent an alert to 12 countries due to the passengers landing in St. Helena. These include Britain, America, Canada, Germany and Singapore. WHO- Hantavirus is spread by special types of rats. According to WHO, in all three death cases, Andes strain is suspected, which can spread among humans also. The Andes strain is a type of hantavirus, which is found mainly in South America (Argentina and Chile). WHO said that the Andes strain is different from other hantaviruses. It spreads not only through infected rats or their feces and urine, but in some cases it can also spread from human to human. However, this infection does not spread as fast as Corona. The investigation revealed that the first two victims had been on bird watching trips in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay before boarding the ship. According to WHO, a special type of rats that spread the virus are found in these areas. Argentinian agencies are now tracing the couple’s journey. According to WHO, the first patient on the ship was a male passenger who showed symptoms on April 6. He died five days later. Hantavirus could not be confirmed at that time because samples were not taken and the symptoms were similar to other viral infections. After this his wife fell ill and died on 25 April in St. Helena. The third female passenger died on May 2. The cruise passed through many countries in 7 weeks. This Netherlands-flagged cruise ship left from Ushuaia, Argentina on March 20. After this it went to the areas around the South Pole and then crossing the Atlantic and moving towards Europe. It was to eventually reach Spain’s Canary Islands, a major tourist destination located in the Atlantic near Africa. There are a total of 170 passengers and 71 crew members on board the ship. A doctor is also included in these. The first deceased was a man in his 70s, who died on board the ship. He was on this journey with his wife. After this his body was landed in St. Helena located in the South Atlantic. His wife later reached South Africa, from where she had to return to her native Netherlands. But her health suddenly deteriorated at the airport itself, she fainted and later died in the hospital. Cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions said the body of the third victim was still on board the ship in Cape Verde.
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