00:00Good afternoon and good evening. Thank you for joining us for this briefing on the hantavirus
00:06situation. Let me begin by outlining what has happened, what we know, what we don't know,
00:14and what WHO has done. Last Saturday, the United Kingdom notified WHO under the international
00:23health regulations of a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness on a Dutch flag
00:29cruise ship, the MV Hondius, which had traveled from Argentina to Capo Verde. So far, eight cases have
00:39been reported, including three deaths. Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus,
00:48and the other three are suspected. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can
00:57cause severe disease in humans. People are usually infected through contact with infected rodents
01:05or their urine droppings or saliva. The species of antivirus involved in this case is the Andes virus,
01:15which is found in Latin America and is the only species known to be capable of limited transmission
01:22between humans. In previous outbreaks of Andes virus, transmission between people has been
01:30associated with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate
01:37partners, and people providing medical care. That appears to be the case in the current situation.
01:47The first case was in a man who developed symptoms on the 6th of April and died on the ship
01:55on the 11th of April. No samples were taken, and because his symptoms were similar to those of other
02:06respiratory diseases, hantavirus was not suspected. The man's wife went ashore when the ship docked at the
02:16island of St. Helena and was also symptomatic. She deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg on the 25th of
02:27April and died the next day. Samples were taken, which were tested at South Africa's National Institute of
02:37Communicable Disease and confirmed as hantavirus. The third death was of a woman on the ship who developed
02:46symptoms on the 28th of April and died on the 2nd of May. Another man presented to the ship,
02:57doctor, on the 24th of April, and he was evacuated on the 25th of April from the island of Ascension
03:05to
03:06South Africa, where he remains in intensive care. Doctors from Cabo Verde boarded the ship to provide
03:16care for the three other passengers with symptoms. WHO coordinated their evacuation to the Netherlands for
03:24treatment? I would like to thank Prime Minister Rulises Correa e Silva of Cabo Verde for his support in
03:32facilitating the evacuation of these three patients based on our request. Two are in a stable condition
03:40in hospital and one is asymptomatic and is now in Germany. The eighth case was in a man who disembarked
03:50in
03:50St. Helena. Following advice from the ship's operator, he reported himself with symptoms in Zurich,
03:58Switzerland, and was confirmed yesterday to be infected with hantavirus. The Geneva University Hospitals then
04:08sequenced the virus and confirmed it as undis. None of the remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently
04:18symptomatic. WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of
04:29the passengers. In each case, we are in close contact with the relevant authorities. Given the incubation period
04:38of the andis virus, which can be up to six weeks, it's possible that more cases may be reported.
04:47While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low. It also shows why the
04:58international health regulations exist and how they work. WHO is working with multiple governments and
05:05partners on the response under those regulations. Our priorities are to ensure the affected patients
05:14receive care, that the remaining passengers on the ship are kept safe and treated with dignity,
05:21and to prevent any further spread of the virus.
05:26. On Monday, I asked Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain to accept the ship, which he agreed to
05:36do, and I thank Prime Minister Sanchez for his generosity, solidarity, and meeting his moral duty. The ship is now
05:46sailing for the Canary Islands, and we are confident in the capacity of Spain to manage this risk
05:53and we're supporting them to do so.
05:56Once again, we assess the risk to the people of the Canary Islands as low.
06:04WHO has provided guidance to the ship's operator on the management of health on board the visitor.
06:11All passengers have been asked to stay in their cabins.
06:14The cabins are being disinfected and anyone who shows symptoms will be isolated immediately.
06:21A WHO expert boarded the ship in Cabo Verde and has been joined by two doctors from the Netherlands
06:28and an expert from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
06:33who will stay on the ship until it reaches the Canary Islands.
06:39They're conducting a medical assessment of everyone on board
06:43and gathering information to assess their risk of infection.
06:48WHO is developing step-by-step operational guidance
06:52for the safe and respectful disembarkation
06:55and onward travel of passengers and crew when they arrive.
07:01WHO has also informed 12 countries whose nationals disembarked in St Helena.
07:07Those 12 countries are Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis,
07:16Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
07:26In addition, WHO is supporting health authorities in South Africa
07:31to follow up people who were on the flight from St Helena to Johannesburg
07:36with the woman who later died.
07:39Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the outbreak are continuing.
07:45Prior to boarding the ship, the first two cases had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
07:53on a bird-watching trip, which included visits to sites where the species of rat
07:59that's known to carry antivirus was present.
08:04WHO is working with health authorities in Argentina
08:07to understand the movements of the couple
08:10and I thank the government of Argentina
08:13for its cooperation, given its experience and expertise
08:17with antivirus.
08:20We have also arranged for shipments
08:23of 2,500 diagnostic kits
08:25from Argentina to laboratories in five countries.
08:30I would also like to thank
08:32the governments of Cabo Verde,
08:34the Netherlands, South Africa,
08:36Spain and the United Kingdom
08:38for their close partnership and support.
08:41I also thank the many partners
08:44who have provided expertise,
08:46including the NICD in South Africa,
08:49the Institute Pasteur Dakar in Senegal
08:51and the HUJ here in Switzerland.
08:57And I would also like to thank
08:59the ship's operator for its cooperation
09:01and the passengers and crew
09:04who are going through a very difficult
09:06and frightening situation.
09:09I have been in touch
09:10with the ship's captain regularly,
09:13including this morning.
09:15He told me morale has improved
09:18significantly since the ship
09:20started moving again.
09:22I thank him for everything
09:24he has done to protect those
09:25under his duty of care.
09:29WHO will continue to work
09:31with all relevant governments
09:32and partners
09:33to provide care
09:35for those who are affected,
09:37protect the safety
09:38and dignity of passengers
09:40and prevent onward spread
09:42of the virus.
09:44Christian, back to you.
09:47Subscribe to One India
09:49and never miss an update.
09:52Download the One India app now.
09:55One India.
09:57One India.
Comments