90-Second Read: Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands for cleaning

A cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak is scheduled to arrive in the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Monday morning. Three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. The Hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius is the first known case on a cruise ship. The outbreak on the ship has reached 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed.

Crew members who are unable to return home will be quarantined in the Netherlands, the Dutch health ministry said last week. Some two dozen passengers and crew are already in quarantine in the Netherlands, after arriving in the country on a series of flights over the previous two weeks. The Dutch company that owns the cruise ship said it doesn't foresee any changes to its operations. The MV Hondius has spent the past six days sailing from the Canary Islands, where the remaining passengers were escorted off the vessel by personnel in full-body protective gear and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine.

According to the ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions, no one on board is experiencing any symptoms. Eighteen Americans are currently under observation at specialized healthcare facilities in the United States designed to treat people with dangerous infectious diseases. After everyone on board has disembarked, the ship will be decontaminated based on Dutch public health guidelines. Public health officials will inspect the vessel before it is allowed to sail again.