\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: Two Singapore residents who were onboard the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius are currently being isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where they are being tested for the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir test results are pending. One has a runny nose but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low,\u201d the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday (May 7).<\/p>\n
CDA said it was notified on May 4 and May 5 that the individuals were on MV Hondius when it departed from the Argentinian port of Ushuaia on Apr 1. The ship later reported an outbreak of Andes hantavirus.<\/p>\n
The first individual, a 67-year-old Singaporean, arrived in Singapore on May 2. The second, a 65-year-old Singapore permanent resident, arrived in Singapore on May 6.<\/p>\n
Both men had disembarked from the ship and were also on the same flight as a confirmed hantavirus case from St Helena to Johannesburg on Apr 25, said CDA, adding that the confirmed case did not travel to Singapore and has since died in South Africa.<\/p>\n
As of Wednesday, eight cases including three deaths have been linked to the cluster on the cruise ship. Three of the cases were confirmed to be infected with hantavirus, and the rest are under investigation.<\/p>\n
CDA said the World Health Organization (WHO) currently assesses the risk to the global population as low.<\/p>\n
Should the two Singapore residents currently isolated at NCID test negative for hantavirus, they will be quarantined for 30 days from the date of last exposure.<\/p>\n
This is because the majority of hantavirus cases are expected to become symptomatic within this period, said CDA.<\/p>\n
\u201cTesting will be conducted again before release from quarantine, and they will then undergo phone surveillance for the remaining monitoring period of 45 days from the date of last exposure, which is the maximum incubation period for hantavirus exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n
If they test positive for hantavirus, they will remain hospitalised for monitoring and treatment, given the potential severity of hantavirus infection.<\/p>\n
\u201cContact tracing will be conducted to identify persons who have been exposed during the infectious period, and close contacts will be quarantined,\u201d said the agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n