90-Second Read: Dutch hospital quarantines 12 over breach of Hantavirus protocol

Amsterdam/Madrid ― A Dutch hospital quarantined 12 staff members in a preventive measure after blood and urine from a Hantavirus patient were handled without observing strict protocols. The World Health Organization increased its tally of confirmed cases of the Andes strain of Hantavirus to nine, up by two from the previous day. Three people, a Dutch couple and a German national, have died since the start of the outbreak of the virus, which is usually spread by wild rodents but can also be transmitted person-to-person in rare cases of close contact. International medical officials are working to contain the outbreak of the virus, which hit the Hondius luxury cruise ship, which has set off for the Netherlands after discharging its final passengers in Spain's Canary Islands. The Radboudumc hospital admitted.

At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak but of course the situation could change and given the long incubation period of the virus, it's possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks. In the latest confirmed case, Spain announced late on Monday that a Spaniard had tested positive, one of 14 quarantining at a military hospital in Madrid.The patient had developed a fever and breathing difficulties but was stable, the Spanish Health Ministry said. The confirmed cases also include a French passenger who tested positive after the ship docked in the Canary Islands on Sunday. After the last passengers disembarked the ship in Spain's Canary Islands, the Hondius set sail for the Netherlands late on Monday evening with.

The hospital staff members will be quarantined for six weeks, the Radboudumc hospital in the city of Nijmegen said, adding that the infection risk was very low and patient care continued uninterrupted. The virus can be deadly, although authorities say it does not spread easily from person to person so poses little risk of an epidemic. We will carefully investigate the course of events to learn from this so that it can be prevented in the future," said Bertine Lahuis, the chair of the hospital's executive board. Eight are Dutch citizens; the others will continue on to their home countries, authorities have said. All suspected cases have been isolated and managed under strict medical supervision, minimising any risk of further transmission, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

Two planes carrying 28 passengers and crew from aboard the Hondiusarrived in the Netherlands from the Canary Islands on Tuesday, shortly after midnight. In addition to the nine confirmed cases, the WHO recognisestwo suspected cases, one ⁠person who died before being tested, and one on Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic island where there were no tests available. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Monday said the passenger was in intensive care but in a stable condition. WHO's Tedros thanked Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for allowing the Hondius to head there and disembark passengers. Standing next to him, Sanchez used the opportunity to call for funding for international organisations.