90-Second Read: Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship docks in the Netherlands for disinfection

A cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection. The Hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius is the first known case on a cruise ship. The Paris public hospital authority said Monday that the French cruise passenger being treated for Hantavirus is not in fact treated with an artificial lung, but remains in intensive care. After everyone on board has disembarked, the ship will be decontaminated based on Dutch public health guidelines, a process that will take about three days, according to van Duijnhoven.

The outbreak on the ship has reached at least 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed by the World Health Organization. Three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. The Public Health Agency of Canada said one of the four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship had tested positive Sunday and that it would share information on the case with the World Health Organization. A short distance from where the ship docked, authorities had set up white containers along the water, in between a line of windmills.

The MV Hondius reached Rotterdam on Monday morning, carrying 25 crew members and two... An Associated Press journalist saw people board the boat from a pier wearing white hazardous materials suits. Public health officials will inspect the vessel before it is allowed to sail again. Eighteen Americans are currently under observation at specialized healthcare facilities in the United States designed to treat people with dangerous infectious diseases.

Crew members will be tested upon arrival and then weekly for the duration of their quarantine. We have very strict protocols to prevent virus going from the ship towards the outside world. Last week, an official at Bichat Hospital told reporters that the patient was on a life-support system that pumps blood through an artificial lung.