Laboratory tests have so far shown no signs of hantavirus infection in a woman airlifted from a cruise ship and admitted to Düsseldorf University Hospital, the medical facility in the North Rhine-Westphalia city announced on Friday. However, protective measures remain in place due to the virus's incubation period, which can last "several weeks" before symptoms appear.
The woman was evacuated on Wednesday from Cape Verde, an Atlantic island nation, after being aboard the affected Dutch cruise ship "Hondius." Authorities have classified her as a "contact person" showing no symptoms. Following her evacuation, she was flown to the Netherlands along with other affected individuals in an internationally coordinated operation, before being transferred to their home countries for further care.
According to Düsseldorf University Hospital, the German patient requires "further monitoring and clinical observation" due to the virus's lengthy incubation period. She remains "in stable clinical condition." Extensive virological examinations have been initiated, but results have not indicated an infection thus far.
The hantavirus outbreak on the ship has claimed three lives so far, including a 65-year-old German national. Her body remains on board the vessel. The "Hondius" is currently sailing toward Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. Evacuation of passengers and crew members is scheduled to begin after the ship docks on Sunday.
Hantaviruses are transmitted through rodents. The specific strain responsible for the outbreak aboard the ship is still under investigation by the university hospital, officials stated.
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