South African health authorities mobilise swiftly to trace contacts and combat a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, ensuring public safety and health amid rising concerns.
Image: IOL / Ron AI
South African health authorities are in a race against time to trace contacts across the country following a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, as global health bodies coordinate a response to the geographically unusual incident that has claimed three lives globally.
The outbreak involves the Andes virus (ANDV) strain, a hantavirus known for its limited human-to-human transmission capability, resulting in eight confirmed cases and three fatalities, including a Dutch couple and a German national.
The National Health Department confirmed that the remains of the second deceased passenger, a 69-year-old Dutch woman who collapsed at OR Tambo International Airport, were repatriated to the Netherlands on Thursday.
This came after the death of her 70-year-old husband upon arrival at St Helena Island. The third known case, a British national medically evacuated from the ship to a Johannesburg medical facility, is currently in a stable but critical condition.
Department spokesperson Foster Mohale stated that contact tracing is well under way, focusing on passengers from the Airlink flight from St Helena Island. “Approximately 50 of the 82 passengers on the flight... have been traced,” Mohale said.
He added: “Ten of these individuals are currently under monitoring in Gauteng.”
In the Western Cape, four individuals who travelled from St Helena Island to Cape Town are also being monitored. One is showing mild symptoms, but Mohale cautioned against premature conclusions.
“For now, it is too early to conclude that this person has hantavirus because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of Covid-19. We have taken this person for laboratory testing, and we are waiting for the results.”
While stressing that the local risk remains low, Mohale appealed for public cooperation. “The department appeals to all those who have been identified for possible exposure to this virus to cooperate with health officials conducting contact tracing,” he said.
The swift and decisive action by the Department of Health and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has drawn significant praise from politicians.
Former NICD deputy director and senior consultant Professor Lucille Blumberg lauded the rapid response. “Within 24 hours of the notification coming or the alert being raised by a colleague of mine in the UK... we had confirmed hantavirus,” Blumberg said.
She noted that the diagnosis of such an unusual pathogen in a unique setting was a “remarkable effort”.
Committee member Dr Karl Willem du Pré le Roux called the response “extremely impressive”, likening the diagnosis to finding a needle in a haystack.
Despite concerns regarding rodent-borne diseases, health experts have reassured the public that the hantavirus strain in this outbreak is not endemic to South African rodents.
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi told a Portfolio Committee on Health meeting: “From the information I got, South African rats do not carry hantavirus because, as I told you, it’s a virus that is found in the Americas... It’s a virus that is found in Europe. It’s a virus that is found in India. I do not know any case which has ever been picked up in South Africa among the rats.”
The Eastern Cape Department of Health had to dispel misinformation this week, categorically denying reports of a hantavirus outbreak at Grey Hospital after a fake notice circulated on social media.
The World Health Organization has assessed the public health risk as low globally but cautioned: “Given the incubation period, it’s possible that more cases may be reported.”
Monitoring for high-risk contacts will continue for up to six weeks due to the virus's long incubation period.
karen.singh@inl.co.za