Three patients suspected of having hantavirus have been evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship and are en route to the Netherlands for medical care, according to the World Health Organization. The three patients are British, German, and Dutch; the British patient is a crew member.
The virus has already claimed three lives. In a recent development, the leader of the Canary Islands has rejected plans for the ship to dock there, citing insufficient information provided to local institutions. A flight intended to evacuate a sick doctor was also canceled.
South African authorities confirmed two more cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus on April 3, while Swiss authorities reported an additional case of the same strain. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to eight.
The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, has dispatched two infectious disease specialists from the Netherlands. The WHO representative in Cape Verde stated there is no pandemic-level threat but advised passengers to stay in their cabins and be prepared for potential quarantine lasting up to two months due to hantavirus’s incubation period.