Cruise ship releases passengers after dozens report symptoms of a second 'virus outbreak'

Health experts have confirmed the outbreak of a second virus on board another cruise ship, following the recent Hantavirus scare.

Over 1700 passengers travelling on the Ambition, mostly from the UK and Ireland, were stopped from disembarking the British vessel after it docked in Bordeaux on Tuesday (12 May), after dozens fell ill with norovirus.

The dreaded stomach bug is notorious for causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea, and reportedly affected over 50 people on board.

The sole fatality of a 92-year-old British man was also reported by the Essex-based operator Ambassador Cruise Line. It's understood that he suffered a heart attack, however, and that his death had been unrelated to the extreme gastroenteritis outbreak.

"We would like to reassure guests that we take any illnesses aboard our fleet extremely seriously," a representative of the travel firm explained in a statement.

Passengers were previously forbidden from disembarking (Peter Titmuss/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"Enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols were immediately implemented across the ship in line with established public health procedures following the

initial reports of illness."

The statement continued: "The comprehensive health and safety measures introduced include increased cleaning and disinfection measures in public areas, assisted service in selected dining venues and ongoing guidance to guests regarding hand hygiene, including regular hand washing, use of hand sanitisers and the prompt reporting of any symptoms to the onboard medical team."

Only after the ship had been docked for over 24 hours, and after assessments were carried out by international health bodies, did French authorities grant healthy passengers permission to disembark.

Anyone who showed symptoms of the highly-contagious virus, however, was ordered to stay put until a designated isolation timeframe had passed.

The ship departed from Belfast, travelling via Liverpool and Brest to Bordeaux (Anadolu / Contributor)

Some passengers who'd fallen ill but since recovered were also tested at a local hospital in Bordeaux.

"According to information relayed last night by the ship's captain, up to fifty passengers experienced symptoms consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection," the local Gironde prefecture said in a statement. "These passengers were immediately attended to by the ship's doctor and isolated in their cabins.

"A medical team, supervised by the maritime medical coordination service and under the authority of the maritime prefect, was dispatched on board to assess the health situation. Samples are currently being taken by the infectious diseases department of the Bordeaux University Hospital."

Amongst those forced to isolate was 52-year-old Northern Irish seafarer, Seos Guilidhe, who later told AFP he'd been 'playing bingo' during the compulsory lockdown, and that others were 'going about as normal'.

"It is not as bad as it was during Covid," he added.

Healthy passengers were permitted to disembark (Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP via Getty Images)

Health experts have also emphasised the lack of evidence linking the incident to the recent Hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius cruise ship.

Since the Dutch ship departed from Argentina for Cape Verde on 1 April three people have died, and nine cases of the rare condition have been confirmed, as well as two suspected.

Hantavirus traditionally spreads through contact with the urine or faeces of rodents, via the inhalation of contaminated airborne droppings particles, or through bites or scratches.

It has been suggested, however, that the recent outbreak, which involves an even rarer strain of the virus called the 'Andes' variant, began spreading between humans as a result of the close living quarters prevalent on cruise ships.

A fatal hantavirus outbreak was recently reported on the MV Hondius (Lina Selg / AFP via Getty Images)

A timeline of the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius

1 April - The MV Hondius cruise ship departs Ushuaia, Argentina, going on to visit Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. Around 150 people are on board, of 23 different nationalities.

6 April - A 69-year-old Dutch man complains of a fever, headache, and mild diarrhoea while onboard.

11 April - The man’s condition deteriorates. He dies following respiratory distress.

12 April - The captain of the MV Hondius breaks the news of the man’s death to passengers. According to one of the passengers, the captain says the man died of natural causes and there is no contagion. Life continues as normal on board the ship.

24 April - The man’s wife, also 69 and from the Netherlands, goes ashore in St Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. On the same day, a British man presents to the ship’s doctor with shortness of breath and signs of pneumonia.

25 April - The Dutch woman boards an Airlink flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact tracing efforts follow in the coming days to track down the 82 passengers and six crew members onboard the flight.

26 April - The 69-year-old Dutch woman dies after arriving at the emergency department in Johannesburg, South Africa. Meanwhile, the British man’s condition deteriorates.

27 April - The British man is medically evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa. He remains in intensive care in Johannesburg. The MV Hondius initiates its SHIELD response health and safety plan.

28 April - A German passenger develops a fever.

2 May - The German passenger dies following pneumonia symptoms. Laboratory testing confirms the British man has hantavirus. The World Health Organisation is notified by the UK.

4 May - The Dutch woman is also confirmed to have had hantavirus. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, confirms that there are two crew members, one British and one Dutch, with acute respiratory symptoms who require urgent medical attention.

6 May - Swiss authorities confirm a case of hantavirus from a passenger of the MV Hondius who heard of the outbreak and presented himself at a hospital in Zurich. The two crew members, along with a close contact of the German passenger who died on 2 May, are medically evacuated from MV Hondius. Of these three passengers, two are now in stable condition in hospital, and one is asymptomatic in Germany. The MV Hondius heads North for the Canary Islands. Oceanwide Expeditions says no symptomatic individuals remain on the ship

8 May - The UK confirms a third British national has suspected hantavirus on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha.

10 May - The MV Hondius is scheduled to arrive at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife