The hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius is far less contagious than Covid-19, according to a senior Dutch infectious disease specialist treating one of the affected patients.
Speaking in an interview with AFP on Thursday, Karin Ellen Veldkamp, head of infectious diseases at Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, said there was no reason for panic despite concerns surrounding the outbreak.
“This is not like Covid,” Veldkamp said. “It is not easily transmissible from person to person.”
She explained that while human-to-human transmission of the virus is possible and may have occurred on the cruise ship, it happens much less easily compared to Covid-19.
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The hospital received one infected patient on Wednesday night and has put strict safety measures in place to prevent further spread.
Veldkamp said the patient is being treated in a specialised isolation room by trained medical staff following established disease-control protocols.
“Our approach is simply to provide proper care for the patient,” she said. “We are trained to do this safely, so there is no fear about entering isolation areas.”
According to her, patients remain in isolation while symptoms persist. Once they recover, they undergo testing, and isolation is lifted if the result comes back negative.
She noted that doctors are still studying how long infected individuals can carry the virus but said recovered patients are generally considered no longer contagious.
The infectious disease expert added that several hospitals across the Netherlands are equipped to handle similar cases if the situation escalates.
“There are other hospitals capable of managing these infections, so the pressure can be shared if necessary,” she said.
