Hantavirus: Affected person from Central Saxony in quarantine

A person from Central Saxony is among the German passengers under observation following the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius. As a protective measure, she is in domestic quarantine for six weeks, as the district office in Freiberg announced on request.

The health department is therefore in regular contact with the affected person, who is currently doing well. No further details on gender, age or examinations or tests carried out were provided with reference to personal rights.

Long wait to breathe a sigh of relief

Four of the German passengers affected by the hantavirus outbreak were initially admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital on Monday. They were then taken to their respective federal states. According to the information provided, people from Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony were affected. None of the four people have symptoms so far, it added. Another German passenger was flown to the UK, as reported by the British news agency PA. The German lives in the UK.

According to experts, it can take up to 45 days from infection to the outbreak of the disease. If a person should fall ill, they can be treated safely in special centers according to the best medical standards, the BMG announced. A total of three passengers of the "Hondius" have died so far, in whom an infection with the Andes virus subspecies has been proven or is suspected.

WHO sees couple as the source of the chain of infection

The WHO suspects that the chain of infection started with a Dutch couple who may have contracted the South American Andes virus before embarking in Argentina. A total of three people have died so far, namely the Dutch couple and a German passenger. Like all hantaviruses, the Andean virus is usually transmitted by rodents. It is the only hantavirus that can also be passed from person to person. However, there have only been a few recorded outbreaks in South America in recent decades, all of which have quickly subsided.