A doctor vacationing on the MV Hondius cruise ship shared his experience and how the outbreak was controlled onboard after he had to step in as an emergency doctor to care for patients when the ship's regular doctor fell ill due to a hantavirus outbreak.
Stephen Kornfeld, a doctor traveling for leisure on the MV Hondius, unexpectedly became the "emergency doctor" after the ship's regular physician became ill amid the outbreak.
Kornfeld told CNN that initially there were only a few patients, but within 12 to 24 hours the situation rapidly worsened with a continuous rise in cases, causing him to gradually become the ship's doctor without prior intention.
He spent five weeks on the ship, caring for passengers amid the stress of quarantine and fears of infection.
However, he noted that most passengers had little close contact with the infected and many had been isolated for weeks, leading him to believe most passengers are likely safe and will be able to disembark soon.
Currently, 146 passengers and crew from 23 countries remain onboard under strict disease control measures, with the ship scheduled to arrive at Spain's Canary Islands this Sunday.
This outbreak on the cruise ship has attracted significant attention as many see parallels to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially since some passengers traveled separately to various countries before their infections were known.
The WHO confirmed that while the situation requires close monitoring, there is no evidence yet that the outbreak will spread as widely as COVID-19, and it is coordinating with several countries to track individuals at risk of exposure.
Source:CNN
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