2 Singapore residents who were on board hantavirus-hit cruise ship isolated at NCID: CDA

A Singaporean and a Singapore Permanent Resident, who were passengers on the cruise ship MV Hondius which is currently at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak, are currently isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday (May 7) that it is awaiting test results for the rare disease.

"One has a runny nose but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low," the public health authority said in a media release.

According to the CDA, the two Singapore residents were on board the cruise ship at its point of departure from Argentina on April 1.

Both men had left the ship at St Helena after a Dutch passenger died.

They had taken the same flight as a confirmed hantavirus case, the Dutch passenger's wife, from St Helena to Johannesburg on April 25.

The confirmed case died in Johannesburg.

A 67-year-old Singaporean returned to Singapore on May 2, while the 65-year-old Singapore PR arrived on May 6.

CDA said both men will be quarantined for 30 days from the date of last exposure if they test negative for hantavirus.

Testing will be conducted again before they are released from quarantine, and they will be under phone surveillance for the remaining monitoring period of 45 days from the date of last exposure, which is the maximum incubation period for hantavirus exposure.

If the passengers test positive for hantavirus, they will remain hospitalised for monitoring and treatment. Contact tracing will be conducted to identify persons who have been exposed during the infectious period, and close contacts will be quarantined.

@asiaone The two Singapore residents are currently isolating at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and awaiting their test results for this rare disease. #news #Argentina #Cruise #Disease #Hantavirus ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

As at May 6, three fatalities linked to the cruise ship have been confirmed, and five others have reported sick.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it currently assesses the risk to the global population as low.

The hantavirus disease is carried by rodents, and humans can become infected when they inhale dust contaminated with urine, droppings or saliva from infected rodents.

The Andes strain of the virus, found in parts of South America, has been associated with human-to-human transmission.

Infected persons will typically develop symptoms including fever, body aches, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms and difficulty breathing, which can rapidly progress to shock and death.

There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccination.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com