Poland places one person under surveillance over possible hantavirus exposure

One person in Poland has been placed under sanitary surveillance due to suspected exposure to hantavirus, although the individual has not yet shown any symptoms.

The country’s chief sanitary inspector said the person may have come into contact with a passenger from a cruise ship on which hantavirus was detected, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Specialists have imposed a seven-day quarantine for the individual as a precautionary measure.

Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced an outbreak of hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.

Several infections were recorded on board, and three infected individuals did not survive.

On May 10, the vessel arrived at the port of the Spanish island of Tenerife, after which an evacuation operation began.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said passengers would be evacuated in 10 flights.

The first group consisted of 14 Spanish citizens, who were transported to a hospital in the capital.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov