Top News

Hospital staff in the Netherlands face quarantine after flouting strict PPE protocols while treating a patient who had been aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, the MV Hondius.

The Radboud University Medical Centre (Radboudumc) confirmed on Monday that 12 members of staff had put themselves at risk of contamination by failing to adhere to specific, stringent protocols when handling blood and urine samples from an infected individual who had been on board the virus-plagued vessel.

Despite the risk of infection being deemed low, the 12 healthcare workers are to remain in "preventive quarantine for six weeks as a precaution," the hospital confirmed.

The patient, infected with the rodent-borne virus, has been receiving hospital treatment since Wednesday, following a medical evacuation from the ill-fated Dutch vessel that has been at the heart of an international health emergency in recent weeks. Blood samples were taken from the patient and processed using standard safety measures. "Due to the nature of the virus, this blood should have been processed according to a stricter procedure," a hospital spokesperson confirmed on Monday.

"In addition, it became clear on Saturday, May 9, that the most up-to-date international regulations had not been followed during the disposal of the patient's urine." Staff members will receive all necessary support while in isolation, the university medical centre confirmed, with Radboudumc board chair Dr Bertine Lahuis moving to reassure the public that the risk to the wider population remains low.

"Despite the fact that the chance of actual infection is very small, these measures have a significant impact on all those involved. We regret that this has happened at our university medical centre," she said, adding that a careful investigation is coming to "learn from this and to prevent it from happening in the future" once again.

Her public remarks come just days after the infected patient was first triaged at the hospital, with the Dutch medical centre having assured the public at the time that its staff had the hantavirus containment measures firmly under control.

A spokesperson said at the time: "On the ward where the patient is admitted, appropriate isolation measures have been taken to prevent spread, in accordance with internationally agreed protocols. The team is specialised and trained in the care of patients with severe infectious diseases."

The patient at Radboudumc was one of three who were medically evacuated from the MV Hondius while it was docked off the coast of Cape Verde last week. They were transported back to the Netherlands, alongside a further patient who has since been admitted to Leiden University Medical Centre. A third individual evacuated from the vessel has been transported to a hospital in Germany, where they have since tested negative for hantavirus.

Three people lost their lives following a recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged ship, which had 147 passengers and crew members on board. Two of those who died were named as a man and a woman from Friesland in the Netherlands, while the third victim was reported to be a German woman.

The remaining passengers still aboard the Dutch-flagged vessel were finally able to disembark on Monday, bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty.