Health experts in the Netherlands have moved to calm fears surrounding the recent Hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, insisting that the virus is far less contagious than Covid-19.
Speaking in an interview with AFPTV, Karin Ellen Veldkamp, head of infectious diseases at Leiden University Medical Centre, said the virus is not easily transmitted between humans and should not be compared to the coronavirus pandemic.
“No, it is not like that. It is not easily transmissible from person to person,” Veldkamp said when asked whether hantavirus could become another Covid-like global health crisis.
She acknowledged that person-to-person transmission may have occurred aboard the ship but stressed that such spread is much more difficult than with Covid-19.
“We know it is possible and we suspect that has happened on the boat… but it is not like Covid, transmission is much more difficult,” she added.
The hospital received one of the infected patients on Wednesday night and said it remains fully prepared to handle additional cases if necessary.
According to Veldkamp, patients are placed in isolation rooms and treated by specially trained medical personnel operating under strict infection-control measures.
“Our principle is that we simply care good care of the patient. We don’t refuse to go in to the isolation room. We are just well trained to do that in a safe way,” she explained.
She added that patients usually remain in isolation for as long as they show symptoms. Once they recover and test negative for the virus, isolation measures can be lifted.
“We do not know exactly how long someone can carry the virus. But we assume that once someone is feeling better, they are no longer contagious,” Veldkamp said.
The Dutch doctor noted that Leiden University Medical Centre regularly handles similar infectious disease cases and that several hospitals across the Netherlands are equipped to share the burden if the outbreak expands.
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has drawn international attention and triggered comparisons with the Covid-19 pandemic, though health experts continue to stress that the two viruses differ significantly in terms of transmission and public health risk.
PUNCH