Evacuation of passengers from virus-hit cruise ship to be completed on Monday
Health officials said 94 evacuees from 19 nations were flown home or to quarantine as the ship sailed on for disinfection.
- Spain completes the repatriation of passengers from the Dutch-flagged Hondius today, Monday, with flights from Australia and the Netherlands concluding an international evacuation following a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
- After detecting a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses among 147 passengers and crew on May 3, authorities diverted the vessel to Spain's Canary Islands from Cape Verde on Wednesday at the WHO and European Union's request.
- As of Friday, the WHO reported three deaths and six confirmed cases; one of 17 Americans being repatriated tested positive for the Andes strain, with a second showing mild symptoms.
- Passengers face testing and potential quarantine upon arrival, with WHO director Maria Van Kerkhove recommending a 42-day isolation period; 30 crew members remain aboard to sail to the Netherlands for disinfection.
- Health officials urge calm, noting the virus is far less contagious than COVID-19 and poses little risk to the general public. CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya said Sunday, "This is not COVID and we don't want to treat it like COVID.
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240 Articles
The director of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned countries to prepare for possible new cases of hantavirus after an outbreak on board the MV Hondius, and thanked Spain for its "compassion and solidarity" as it accepted the stricken cruise ship and evacuated its passengers and crew, the Guardian reports.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom raised the number of positive cases associated with the Hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise to eleven on Tuesday and said that the risk remains low, as all suspects and confirmed have been isolated under “strict” medical supervision to minimize the risk of any subsequent transmission. “All suspected and confirmed cases have been isolated and are being managed under strict medical supervision, thus min…
From the Spanish Canary Islands, they landed in Eindhoven (ANSA)
The evacuation of passengers and part of the crew of the cruise ship "MV Hondius" affected by Hantavirus infections has been completed. The ship is now on its way to the Netherlands with a remaining crew, where it is to be fully disinfected.
Diario de Cádiz
A Spanish passenger isolated in the Gómez Ulla gave provisional positive for hantavirus The last 26 passengers evacuated will travel together on two planes bound for the Netherlands.
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