The cruise ship at center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak has to undergo extra cleaning

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak is undergoing further cleaning before it returns to its home port, the company that operates it said Tuesday.

In a written statement, Oceanwide Expeditions said the extra work is being carried out on the advice of the GGD local health authority in the port city of Rotterdam, where the vessel returned early last week. It's home port is in nearby Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands.

“Based on their inspection findings, GGD has advised additional cleaning,” the cruise company said. “Following completion of this work, GGD will conduct a final inspection before the vessel can depart from Rotterdam.”

It did not elaborate on why extra cleaning was required and the health authority did not immediately have a comment on the reason it asked for the additional measures.

Yvonne van Duijnhoven, the director of public health in Rotterdam, said when the Hondius arrived in the city's sprawling port eight days ago that it would likely take three days to clean and disinfect the vessel.

In a message posted Sunday on X, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said so far, 12 hantavirus cases and three deaths have been reported to the organization, with no deaths reported since May 2.

“All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed. The situation is stable for now. We continue to remain vigilant and in close contact with all relevant governments,” he added.

Hantaviruses usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. But the hantavirus that has caused the current outbreak, called the Andes virus, may be able to spread between people in rare cases. The risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low, according to public health officials.

Oceanwide Expeditions had previously said it didn't foresee any changes to the Hondius' operations. The ship had an Arctic cruise setting sail from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29. But in Tuesday's statement, the company said that “all voyages from 13 June onwards will proceed as scheduled. No further disruption to the sailing schedule of m/v Hondius is expected.”