A Dutch cruise ship, the MV Hondius, which experienced a hantavirus outbreak, has departed Cape Verde following the medical evacuation of three individuals on board.
Three individuals evacuated for treatment:
- A 56-year-old British man
- A 41-year-old Dutch crew member
- A 65-year-old German national
These individuals were sent to the Netherlands for treatment. Two of them have already arrived at a hospital in the Netherlands, while the third’s evacuation flight was delayed.
The ship, carrying 146 people, has commenced a three-day voyage towards the Canary Islands.
Previous Fatalities and Investigations:
Since the ship’s departure from Argentina a month ago, three people who were aboard have died. Officials have confirmed that one of the deceased had the hantavirus, while the other two deaths are currently under investigation.
None of the three evacuees have tested positive for hantavirus so far, though two are exhibiting symptoms. A German passenger, one of the evacuees, was reportedly “closely associated” with a German woman who died on board on May 2.
The UK’s Health Security Agency has reported that two British individuals are self-isolating in the UK after potential exposure to the virus on the ship. They disembarked earlier in the journey and were asymptomatic.
Global Health Response and Virus Details:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified eight cases of hantavirus – three confirmed and five suspected – among those who were on the ship.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents. However, health experts believe that in this particular instance, it might have spread between humans through close contact. Testing is ongoing to confirm if other individuals on the ship have contracted the virus. Health officials emphasize that the risk of transmission to the wider public remains low.
The vessel was anchored near Cape Verde, off Africa’s west coast, where three additional medical staff members boarded before it sailed for the Canary Islands on Wednesday.
Controversy over Canary Islands Entry:
Spanish authorities approved the ship’s movement to the Canary Islands. However, Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, has opposed this plan, demanding an urgent meeting with Spain’s prime minister. He stated, “I cannot allow [the boat] to enter the Canaries. This decision is not based on any technical criteria and nor have we been given enough information.”
South African health authorities, after tests by the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, found the Andes strain of hantavirus – prevalent in Latin America, where the cruise originated – in two of the confirmed patients. Experts have observed the Andes strain spreading between human patients in previous outbreaks. South Africa is continuing efforts to trace all contacts.
Further Details on Fatalities:
One of the deaths involves a Dutch woman who disembarked the MV Hondius at St Helena on April 24. Her husband had died on board on April 11, though his case is not confirmed as hantavirus. The Dutch woman subsequently traveled to South Africa, where she died on April 26. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO official, confirmed that health experts are conducting contact tracing for her flight. KLM Airlines issued an advisory stating the woman was briefly on one of their flights from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on April 25 before being denied further travel due to her medical condition.
The third fatality, a German woman, is also not a confirmed case, and her body remains on the ship.
Dr. Van Kerkhove clarified that hantavirus transmission “is very different than COVID and flu,” requiring “really physical contact” rather than casual contact from a distance.
Current Status and Future Plans:
A total of 146 people from 23 different countries remain aboard the MV Hondius under “strict precautionary measures,” according to Oceanwide Expeditions. Infectious disease experts and WHO staff have joined them for the journey to the Canary Islands.
Spain’s health minister, Mónica García, confirmed that all individuals remaining on the ship are asymptomatic. Upon arrival in Tenerife, everyone on board will undergo a medical assessment. Those fit for travel will be repatriated to their home countries. Spanish nationals will be sent to a defense hospital in Madrid for quarantine.
García assured that the evacuation strategy aims to “avoid contact” with Canary Island citizens, ensuring “no risk” to them upon the ship’s arrival in Tenerife in the coming days.
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