TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A New Zealand passenger exposed to a rare Andes hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has completed hospital quarantine in Taiwan and been cleared with no signs of infection, the Centers for Disease Control said on Sunday in a press release.
The passenger, who entered Taiwan on May 7 aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, was placed under enhanced self-health management and monitoring in a single-occupancy hospital room after international notifications identified potential exposure linked to a cluster of Andes hantavirus cases. The agency said the quarantine was conducted according to established World Health Organization protocols.
During the monitoring period, the passenger remained asymptomatic and reported no fever, cough, breathing difficulties, or other symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection. The individual underwent four rounds of testing on May 14, May 20, May 27, and June 3, including Andes hantavirus polymerase chain reaction testing and serum IgM and IgG antibody testing. All results were negative.
The agency noted the passenger completed 42 days of enhanced monitoring at midnight on Saturday and poses no risk of transmission to the community in Taiwan. As of June 2, authorities have reported 13 cases (11 confirmed and two probable) linked to the MV Hondius outbreak, including three deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 23%. International contact tracing efforts are ongoing, per press release.
As of May 22, more than 600 contacts had been identified, with 53% classified as high-risk, according to the CDC. The WHO has assessed the global risk of the outbreak as low, though the agency said it will continue to monitor developments through international cooperation mechanisms and adjust prevention and control measures as needed.
