Taiwanese health authorities placed a New Zealand citizen in hospital quarantine after learning he had recently been aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, where an outbreak of Hantavirus was confirmed. The individual arrived in Taiwan on 7 May, having disembarked from the vessel on 24 April at Saint Helena Island in the South Atlantic.
According to Cheng Su-hui, spokesperson for Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC), New Zealand authorities notified their counterparts on 13 May that the person was in Taiwan. He was admitted to hospital the same day and is scheduled to remain in quarantine until 6 June. Cheng declined to disclose his identity, citing privacy protocols.
The passenger tested negative for Hantavirus and shows no symptoms. ‘At present, we assess the likelihood of infection as relatively low,’ Cheng said. ‘His last contact with other passengers was on 25 April — roughly 20 days ago.’
Lo Yi-chun, CDC Director-General, told reporters the New Zealander did not return home after leaving the cruise ship but offered no details about his travel route to Taiwan. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) confirmed the department provided consular assistance to a dual national in Taiwan. ‘The individual resides outside New Zealand and requested MFAT support on Wednesday, 13 May,’ the ministry stated in an official release.
Health officials have repeatedly stressed that the public health risk linked to the Andes strain of Hantavirus — the only known human-to-human transmissible variant — remains low. Globally, three deaths have been reported so far. There is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Hantavirus, but authorities emphasize the disease poses minimal pandemic threat and is not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic.