Geneva, May 10 (IANS). The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that everyone aboard the cruise ship where the Hantavirus outbreak was reported should be considered a “high-risk” contact. Therefore all of them should be continuously monitored for 42 days.
Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the Epidemiology and Prevention Department at WHO, told the media that everyone on the ship is being considered a high-risk contact. He said that at present no one on the ship has shown any symptoms of the disease, but monitoring and health check-up of all the passengers and staff disembarking from the ship is necessary for 42 days.
However, he also made it clear that the danger to the general public and the people of Spain’s Canary Islands is still low. This ship is scheduled to reach there on Sunday.
According to WHO’s ‘Disease Outbreak News’ update on Saturday, cases of the severe respiratory illness were first reported on the cruise ship on May 2. There were 147 passengers and staff on board the ship at that time, while 34 people had already disembarked. All WHO contact points in the concerned countries have been informed, Xinhua news agency reported. All countries are working together to trace and test those people who may have come in contact with infected people.
As of May 8, a total of eight people have been found to have symptoms of the disease. Three people have died among them. Andes virus (ANDV) hantavirus infection has been confirmed after investigation in six cases. WHO has asked the concerned countries to maintain mutual coordination and continue the work of identification, treatment of infected people, measures to prevent infection and providing correct information to the people.
According to WHO, early symptoms of hantavirus infection include headache, dizziness, chills, fever, muscle pain and stomach problems. These may cause problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.
WHO also said that in some earlier cases, the possibility of infection spreading even before symptoms appeared cannot be completely ruled out. Therefore, people at low risk have also been advised to keep an eye on their health, get checked by a doctor if necessary and wear a mask if symptoms appear.
–IANS
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