hantavirus outbreak – An American oncologist says he became the cruise ship’s central medical lead as hantavirus cases emerged, prompting evacuations to the Canary Islands and Nebraska.
A hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship M/V Hondius quickly turned into a medical emergency, and an American oncologist on board says he realized within a day that he had become the de facto leader of the ship’s response.
Dr.. Stephen Kornfeld. an oncologist from Bend. Oregon. told ABC News that once the first signs of serious illness appeared. the situation escalated rapidly.. He said a patient died onboard and that several others—along with the ship’s doctor and members of the medical team—began to grow sicker as early information about hantavirus began to surface.
Kornfeld said the ship’s doctor was among the people onboard who tested positive for the virus. In all, six people onboard tested positive. One passenger with a probable case died during the outbreak.
The isolation and hospitalizations underscore how geographically spread the response has become.. The ship’s unidentified doctor and a ship’s guide who tested positive are under isolation in the Netherlands. while a British man with a positive test is hospitalized in South Africa and a Swiss man is hospitalized in Switzerland.
Death also entered the timeline in multiple locations. A Dutch woman who tested positive died on April 26 in South Africa, and a German woman who tested positive died on May 2.
For the Americans onboard. the report indicated no infections had been confirmed as of Saturday afternoon: none of the 17 U.S.. passengers on the vessel had tested positive for hantavirus.. As the ship prepares to leave the immediate crisis zone. the route plan is to arrive at the Canary Islands on Sunday morning. where passengers are scheduled to disembark and be flown back to their home countries.
Kornfeld described how the crew and passengers rallied to cope with the fast-changing situation at sea. He said the ship “came together,” framing the response as a coordinated effort that strengthened bonds among those working to manage what he described as a full-blown medical crisis.
Despite the intensity of the events, he said he is in good health, though he acknowledged feeling “a little vulnerable.” He told ABC News that with time passing and no further symptoms among those onboard, he expects soon to have access to high-quality medical care.
He said the coming evaluations bring relief, and that he is also weighing the practical reality of being evaluated after the outbreak at sea.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said the American passengers will be flown out to Nebraska for evaluation, but that there would be no mandatory quarantine. The National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska, is prepared to treat and observe patients who may need monitoring.
Kornfeld, who said he spent time bird watching while onboard, also reflected on the coincidence of the plans moving from the cruise to Nebraska. “Well, I’ve never been bird watching in Nebraska,” he said, underscoring how abruptly the itinerary and the medical stakes collided.
hantavirus cruise outbreak MV Hondius Stephen Kornfeld CDC evaluation Nebraska cruise ship medical response quarantine unit Omaha