Three more people evacuated from hantavirus-hit cruise ship | Hantavirus
Three people with suspected hantavirus, including a British crew member, were medically evacuated from the cruise ship linked to the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the crew member, along with a Dutch colleague and another passenger, had been taken from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius bound for the Netherlands.
The evacuation means the ship, with nearly 150 people on board, can now continue its three-day voyage to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities allowed the ship to dock.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared on
“WHO continues to work with ship operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, and is working with countries to support appropriate medical monitoring and evacuation where necessary.
“Tracking and tracing for passengers on board and passengers already disembarked has been initiated in cooperation with ship operators and national health authorities.
“The overall public health risk remains low at this stage.”
A Dutch couple and a German citizen on the ship named MV Hondius lost their lives, while a British citizen is in intensive care in South Africa. There are also at least four Australian citizens on board.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, WHO has emphasized that the risk to the public is low.
People are usually infected with hantavirus through contact with infected rodents or their urine, feces, or saliva. Human-to-human transmission is rare.
But some previous outbreaks of the Andean strain, which has spread throughout South America, including Argentina, where the cruise began in March, have seen limited spread among close contacts.
South Africa’s health ministry said 62 contacts, including flight crew and healthcare workers, were identified and contact tracing was ongoing. Contacts will be monitored until the incubation period has passed. So far, none of them have been diagnosed with hantavirus.
Cape Verde was planned to be the ship’s final destination, but the country off the coast of West Africa did not allow the ship to disembark passengers due to the epidemic.
Late Tuesday, Spain’s health ministry said it had been asked to take the MV Hondius by the World Health Organization and the EU and agreed “in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.”
According to a report by Spanish state broadcaster TVE on Wednesday, citing sources from the country’s health ministry, the ship will dock at the Canary island of Tenerife.
The leader of the Spanish archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said he was against the move and requested an urgent meeting with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez. The decision ultimately rests with the central government.
