Spain’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that a Dutch cruise ship experiencing a hantavirus outbreak will proceed to the Canary Islands. Authorities are currently assessing which passengers require urgent evacuation from Cape Verde, where the vessel is docked. The remaining passengers are expected to continue the journey to the Canary Islands, with arrival anticipated within three to four days, though the specific port has yet to be determined.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions indicated that the MV Hondius is scheduled to dock either in Gran Canaria or Tenerife. The vessel, which departed Argentina about a month ago for a transatlantic voyage, has already recorded three passenger deaths. Two crew members—including the ship’s doctor—are in need of immediate medical attention and await evacuation, while another individual connected to a deceased German national is also due to be airlifted.
In its statement, the Health Ministry noted that the ship’s doctor, who is in critical condition, is scheduled to be evacuated to the Canary Islands on Tuesday aboard a medical aircraft. It said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had explained that Cape Verde “cannot carry out this operation”.
“The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities. Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are several Spanish citizens,” the statement added. After arriving in the Canary Islands, crew and passengers would be examined, given whatever care was needed, and then begin their journeys back home, Spain’s health ministry said in a statement. All interactions with those who had been on the MV Hondius would happen in “special spaces and transports specifically set up for this situation”, the ministry said.
This is to help in “avoiding all contact with the local population and ensuring the safety of healthcare personnel”, it added. Hantavirus is usually spread from rodents, but the WHO has said it could have spread among “really close contacts” aboard the ship. It stressed that the risk to the public was low. Seven cases of hantavirus – two confirmed and five suspected – have so far been identified, according to the latest WHO update.
The two confirmed cases are a Dutch woman, who is among those who died, and a 69-year-old UK national who was evacuated to South Africa for medical treatment. The woman’s husband also died, but he is not a confirmed case, nor is the German national who passed away on 2 May.
Some 149 people from 23 countries remained aboard under “strict precautionary measures”, the ship’s operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. Aside from a British crew member, who is among those due to be evacuated, there are 22 other British nationals aboard.
Source: BBC
