A local cruise ship expert who has written books on the topic says the hantavirus outbreak linked to an expedition cruise ship is a bit of an anomaly.
Ross Klein, a professor at Memorial University, says the MV Hondius is very different from the massive cruise ships that dominate the industry, with a capacity of a couple of hundred versus a thousand or more.
He says hantavirus is far less of a concern than the types of illness typically seen on cruises.
Ross Klein (Submitted)
Klein says of the outbreaks involving more than three per cent of passengers reported by the cruise ship industry to the U.S. government, two have involved E.coli. “E.coli has to do with poor food handling in general. I mean, that to me would be a concern as a consumer more so than hantavirus.”
Public health officials say the hantavirus outbreak connected to the Hondius is not an illness with pandemic potential.
