A British man in his 60s has been detained in a bar in Italy despite being under strict quarantine orders linked to the growing hantavirus outbreak connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship.
The man and his travelling companion were apprehended in Milan before being transferred to hospital facilities at Sacco Hospital. Authorities had ordered the pair to remain in isolation until June 6 as part of a 42-day quarantine period following possible exposure to the virus.
The British man had reportedly travelled on the same flight as Mirjam Schilperoord, 69, who died after flying from St Helena to Johannesburg following infection with the disease. Mirjam was the wife of Leo Schilperoord, 70, who is believed to have contracted the virus after visiting a rubbish tip during a birdwatching excursion on a remote island in Argentina while aboard the cruise ship.
There are now 11 reported cases linked to the outbreak, nine of which have been officially confirmed. Three people have died, while a French woman remains critically ill after being placed on an artificial lung machine.
Doctors treating her described the intervention as “the final stage of supportive care”. The outbreak began aboard the MV Hondius, which departed Argentina on April 1 before later docking in Tenerife following the health emergency.
Most passengers have since been evacuated and returned to their home countries for quarantine, while only a small number of crew members and medical staff remain onboard the ship. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that additional cases could emerge in the coming weeks because of the virus’s lengthy incubation period.
Speaking at a press conference in Madrid, the World Health Organization chief said: “Of course, the situation could change. “And given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.” However, he stressed there were currently “no signs” that the outbreak posed a pandemic threat.
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