Dutch hospital quarantines 12 staff after reported hantavirus protocol breach
Fox News • • health
Key Points:
- Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands quarantined 12 staff members for six weeks after a breach in hantavirus protocols involving a patient from a deadly outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
- The hospital failed to process the patient’s blood and urine under the strictest international hantavirus handling and disposal protocols, leading to preventive quarantine despite a low infection risk.
- The outbreak has resulted in 11 cases and three deaths across Europe, with ongoing contact tracing and repatriation of passengers from the cruise ship, which docked in the Canary Islands for evacuation.
- Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans acknowledged the protocol lapse but emphasized that strict procedures were still followed, while hospital officials pledged a thorough investigation and continued care readiness.
- The U.S. CDC deployed a team to the Canary Islands to monitor potentially exposed American passengers and is maintaining confidentiality on the number of individuals under observation.