After a hantavirus patient from the affected MV Hondius cruise ship was admitted to Radboudumc in Nijmegen, an incorrect handling of their blood and urine has led to further risk of infection among staff.
As reported by AD, the staff followed standard procedure in the handling of the patient’s fluids, despite a recognised need for increased precautions and safety controls.
What happened?
Three passengers from the cruise who developed symptoms were evaluated at hospitals across the Netherlands, including the LUMC in Leiden, Amsterdam AMC, and Radboudumc in Nijmegen.
Radboudumc is known for being especially equipped to handle infectious diseases, reports AD. However, in this case, the patient’s fluids were improperly handled.
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Firstly, blood was drawn from the patient on admission and processed under standard procedure, when a much stricter protocol should have been used.
Then, on Saturday, it emerged that the disposal of the patient’s urine had also not followed the required heightened precautions.
Now what?
12 staff members have been identified as being at risk of infection. They will be isolating for six weeks and monitoring their symptoms. It is unclear if their isolation will be conducted at home or elsewhere, reports AD.
Bertine Lahuis, Chair of the Executive Board of Radboudumc, stated that Radboudumc “regret[s] that this has happened.”
“We will carefully investigate the course of events to learn from this, so that it is prevented in the future,” he also said.
Human-to-human hantavirus infection spreads through close, prolonged contact. However, according to the WHO, “little evidence is available due to the scarcity of hantavirus outbreak related to human-to-human transmission.”
What are your thoughts on how this case was handled? Let us know in the comments!
