Two Singapore Men Tested for Hantavirus After Cruise Ship Incident

Singapore Sees Hantavirus‑Positive Men in Isolation

Singapore is currently keeping two 60‑plus men in isolation while they undergo testing for hantavirus. The men were aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship that left Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1 and later sparked an outbreak. The ship’s passengers are being monitored worldwide to stop the virus from spreading further.

The outbreak on the Hondius has already claimed three lives: a Dutch couple and one German national. Eight other people are thought to have become infected. Hantavirus usually jumps from rodents to humans, but in rare cases it can pass between people.

The two men were taken off the ship and flew to Singapore on the same plane that carried a confirmed case from St Helena to Johannesburg. That passenger later died in South Africa and never visited Singapore, so the local risk is considered low.

The men are currently at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. One shows a runny nose but feels otherwise fine; the other shows no symptoms at all. If their tests come back negative, they will be quarantined for 30 days from the last time they were exposed. If positive, doctors will keep them in the hospital for close observation and treatment.

Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency has said that the general public faces little danger at present, but it remains vigilant. The situation is still developing as more passengers are traced and tested.