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As the hantavirus scare comes to an end with the last cruise ship passengers set to leave quarantine, what did the world learn from this sudden outbreak of a previously little-known virus?
The deaths of three people who had been onboard the MV Hondius sparked a global health alert in early May, prompting fears the ship’s many international passengers could spread the rodent-borne disease across the world.
Many nations responded by putting the passengers and contact cases in quarantine or isolation for the disease’s six-week incubation period.
There were no further deaths during the outbreak — and all 12 confirmed hantavirus cases were passengers on the ship.
