Thirty-eight Filipino crew members aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean have tested negative for hantavirus, the Department of Health confirmed Tuesday, even as the vessel remains under medical watch following the deaths of three passengers from the infection.
DOH Undersecretary Albert Domingo, speaking as the department’s spokesperson, cited World Health Organization reports in clearing the Filipino workers of any infection. “Wala kaming naririnig [o] nababalitaan so far… In close coordination po tayo,” he said.
Three other passengers on the ship remain infected, and medical teams are currently drawing up evacuation plans for roughly 150 people still on board.
The DOH has separately noted that no hantavirus cases have been recorded in the Philippines this year.
