Singapore says 2 cruise ship passengers test negative for hantavirus

Two Singaporean residents who were aboard the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius have tested negative for the rare respiratory disease, local media reported on Saturday, citing the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).

The two men, aged 65 and 67, had traveled on the cruise ship during an outbreak of the Andes hantavirus, and were also on the same April 25 flight from St Helena to Johannesburg as a confirmed hantavirus patient who later died in South Africa, according to Channel News Asia.

The infected person did not travel to Singapore.

The CDA said laboratory testing on multiple samples from both men found no evidence of hantavirus infection, including the Andes virus strain.

As a precaution, the two men remain isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases after arriving in Singapore on May 2 and May 6, respectively. Authorities said they will undergo a 30-day quarantine from their last exposure date, followed by additional testing before release.

The agency added that the men will remain under phone surveillance for a total monitoring period of 45 days, which corresponds to the maximum incubation period for hantavirus exposure.

"The risk to the general public in Singapore remains low," the CDA said, adding that authorities are continuing to closely monitor the situation.

The outbreak, involving the Andes strain of hantavirus, has so far resulted in five confirmed cases, including three deaths, among passengers connected to the voyage, according to World Health Organization officials.

The MV Hondius, carrying approximately 150 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities, departed from Argentina and crossed the Atlantic before reporting a cluster of respiratory illnesses while sailing off Cape Verde.