Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa confirms most Filipino crew members from M/V Hondius are at low risk for hantavirus, dismissing the need for further quarantine upon arrival.
HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said not all the 38 Filipino seafarers on board the M/V Hondius can be considered high risk for the hantavirus.In an online media briefing on late Sunday night, May 10, 2026, Herbosa said this is despite them being confined in the M/V Hondius with infected individuals for several days.”The Filipino crew, especially the ones in the engine room, I don’t think they were even exposed to these two people.. Because if
they were in the engine, they most likely wouldn’t have encountered them,” he noted.”The most likely people are those who cleaned their room or the people that served them in the eating area.. So those are the high risk.. But all the rest, they’re all low risk for exposure,” added Herbosa.. Hantavirus is a type of virus that can cause severe respiratory disease to people.Hantavirus is spread to humans mainly by rodents or their urine,
saliva, or feces, while human-to-human transmission may happen due to close contact with a person infected.. Meanwhile, the health chief said he does not see the need for the 38 Filipino crew members of the M/V Hondius to undergo separate medical evaluation upon their return to the Philippines.. He said the 38 Filipino seafarers will be free to go home as soon as they are repatriated from the Netherlands.. “By the time they are released,
they are disease-free and are considered not infected.. So, no need to test them actually when they are released from quarantine,” said Herbosa.. “They won’t go into quarantine again.. The quarantine is the one in the Netherlands.. So when they arrive, they’re already considered disease-free,” he added.On Sunday, May 10, the DOH and the Department of Migrant Workers announced that the 38 Filipino crew members shall be brought to the Netherlands to undergo a 42-day
quarantine period.This, they said, is part of the safety measures adopted by the authorities amid the hantavirus outbreak in MV Hondius before they are allowed to come home.. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
Hantavirus, Filipino seafarers, DOH, M/V Hondius, health safety, Teodoro Herbosa, maritime health