EU holds emergency meeting to coordinate response to hantavirus outbreak

European Union (EU) ambassadors convened an emergency meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss efforts to strengthen cross-border public health coordination.

The meeting came after a Hantavirus outbreak was reported aboard a polar expedition cruise ship, which has raised public concerns of a new pandemic.

At the meeting, all parties discussed establishing a more coordinated and consistent epidemic response mechanism within Schengen, ensuring that member states can share case information in a timely manner and adopt relatively unified prevention and control standards to avoid the risks associated with cross-border virus transmission.

On the same day, several EU officials said that the outbreak served as a wake-up call, highlighting EU's continued vulnerability in the public health sector and emphasizing the need to further enhance its prevention and response capabilities.

The officials also stressed that health threats can easily cross borders, therefore member states should enhance coordination to avoid loopholes resulting from inconsistent measures.

MV Hondius, the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, departed from Argentina on April 1, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew from 23 countries. Globally, 11 hantavirus-related cases have so far been reported, including three deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nine of the 11 cases have been confirmed as Andes infections, while the remaining two are considered probable cases. The Andes virus is a hantavirus strain that spreads from person to person.

As of Sunday, 94 passengers from 19 countries had been evacuated. Spain, the WHO, and multiple countries coordinated the operation. The final evacuation flight departed on Monday, carrying Australian and Dutch nationals.

So far, the quarantine measures taken by EU countries for the affected passengers vary. Spain transferred its nationals directly to a military hospital in Madrid for forced isolation, while the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries have asked affected passengers to self-isolate at home.

Furthermore, two passengers have developed symptoms during quarantine and are receiving treatment in France and Spain, respectively.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is investigating the transmission route of the virus. Preliminary assessments suggest the first case may have contracted the virus during travel to Argentina before boarding the cruise ship and then spread it to other passengers.

Health experts have said that there is currently no evidence that this outbreak involves a new virus or strain and the overall risk of Hantavirus to the public is low, urging the public not to panic over Hantavirus.

EU holds emergency meeting to coordinate response to hantavirus outbreak

Chinese scientists have developed a programmable quantum computing prototype called "Jiuzhang 4.0" that has set a new world record for optical quantum information technology, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Led by the University of Science and Technology of China, the team used the prototype to solve the Gaussian boson sampling problem at a speed more than 10 to the 54th times that of the world's most powerful supercomputer, the study said.

The researchers said they manipulated and detected quantum states of up to 3,050 photons -- a significant leap from the 255 photons achieved with the previous "Jiuzhang 3.0."

Current mainstream quantum computing technological routes include superconducting, ion trap, photonic, and neutral atom systems. The "Jiuzhang" series of prototypes encodes quantum bits using photons and performs quantum computation through the manipulation and measurement of these photons.

Since its successful construction in 2020, the series has undergone several upgrades, achieving "quantum computational advantage" and repeatedly setting world records.

Chinese scientists develop 'Jiuzhang 4.0,' setting new world record in quantum computing