MANILA: (Bernama-PNA) Twenty-one of the 38 Filipino crew members aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, linked to a hantavirus outbreak, are currently undergoing quarantine in Amsterdam, according to Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.
"They are continuously being monitored by our embassy, Ambassador Ed Malaya and his team, and our) Labour Attaché and OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) Welfare Officer on the ground,” Cacdac said during a press briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Friday (May 15).
He said coordination teams from Manila, including senior officials from the DMW, Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Foreign Affairs, are all closely monitoring the situation.
Cacdac said the two groups that form the full 38-member Filipino crew have all tested negative for hantavirus after three of the ship’s passengers died.
Despite testing negative, he said all crew members are required to undergo a 42-day quarantine as part of a precautionary health protocol.
Cacdac also confirmed that the remaining 17 crew members are still on board the vessel as it heads toward Rotterdam, with is expected to arrive on May 18, where they will disembark and will also be placed under isolation.
"A report we received stated that there is a WHO doctor or a group of doctors on the ship. So no worries because there are protocols and proper guidance from the doctors, including the WHO doctor on the ship going to) Rotterdam,” he said.
The WHO reported 11 cases as of Wednesday, including eight confirmed, one inconclusive and two probable.
This includes the three deaths, of which two were confirmed and one probable.
Cacdac said, despite the heightened health alert, all Filipino seafarers on MV Hondius remain asymptomatic and have consistently tested negative for hantavirus.
He said the quarantine is being enforced in accordance with international health protocols.
"We are praying that it stays that way, all of them negative in testing. We don't know of any symptomatic cases at this stage),” Cacdac added. - Bernama-PNA
