No hantavirus cases involving quarantined Filipino cruise ship crew - DMW

THE HAGUE – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has confirmed that no Filipino crew members of the MV Hondius cruise ship, currently in quarantine, have tested positive for hantavirus.

The confirmation came as Dutch health authorities reported on Friday that a crew member, whose nationality was not disclosed, had been brought to hospital after testing positive for the virus while in quarantine.

“The crew member who tested positive for hantavirus is not a Filipino. All 38 Filipino crew members in quarantine in the Netherlands are thus far in good condition,” the DMW wrote in response to GMA News’ inquiry.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said the positive case “has since been admitted to the hospital as a precaution and is in isolation”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the crew member “disembarked in Tenerife” and “was repatriated to the Netherlands and has been isolating since then.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “the situation is stabilizing.”

“WHO is actively monitoring all quarantined passengers and crew alongside national governments. Surveillance will continue until the incubation period ends for everyone who was on board,” Ghebreyesus wrote on X.

A total of 38 Filipino crew members are in quarantine, 21 of whom arrived in Rotterdam on May 18.

The Philippine Embassy in The Hague previously said it was in close contact with Dutch authorities and the Migrant Workers Offices in Berlin to facilitate the eventual repatriation of all 38 Filipino crew members to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday that there has already been coordination with the Netherlands to ensure proper care for the Filipino crew members.

The statement came as Health Secretary Ted Herbosa met with his Dutch counterpart, Sophie Hermans, on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday. —VBL, GMA News