Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia on Wednesday said passengers of the MV Hondius, the cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people, will be allowed to evacuate the ship after it docks in the Canary Islands later this week and those with symptoms will be quarantined. (Read the latest updates on the MV Hondius.)
This aerial view shows health personnel boarding the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.
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Garcia said the ship is en route to the Granadilla port in Tenerife, where all passengers will be evacuated before those without symptoms are allowed to return to their home countries.
Spanish citizens and those with symptoms will be quarantined on a Madrid military base.
Authorities on Wednesday confirmed the disease circulating on the ship is the rare Andes variant of Hantavirus—a rare zoonotic virus carried by rodents—and said there are at least five unconfirmed cases.
In a statement on X, the World Health Organization said Swiss authorities have confirmed a third case of the hantavirus after a man who had traveled on the MV Hondius cruise ship was hospitalized in the country.
The BBC reported the man was part of the early leg of the cruise ship’s trip to South America but had flown back to his home country “at the end of April.”
According to the WHO, the man “responded to an email from the ship’s operator” about the outbreak and went to a hospital in Zurich, where he is receiving care.
The UN body noted that the virus causing the outbreak has been identified as the “Andes hantavirus,” a rare and deadly strain that can be transmitted between humans.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also announced that they had evacuated three suspected hantavirus patients from the ship, who are now on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands.
In total, there have been three confirmed cases and five suspected cases linked to the outbreak so far, the WHO said.
Three deaths linked to outbreak have been reported so far, but only one of them has been identified as a confirmed hantavirus case—a 69-year-old Dutch woman whose husband died on board.
Earlier on Wednesday, Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that the ship will be allowed to dock at the Canary Island of Tenerife. The Canary Islands is an autonomous Spanish territory in the Atlantic Ocean that is located off the northwest coast of Africa. However, a few hours after the announcement, Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, said he would reject the Spanish government's push to allow the cruise ship to dock in the islands. El País reported that Clavijo complained about the “lack of loyalty and transparency” from the Spanish federal government on this matter. In response, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reportedly called for an emergency meeting with certain members of his cabinet. The Spanish newspaper reported that the meeting will discuss a “request” by the WHO to allow the ship to dock in the Canaries.
In its most recent update issued on Wednesday morning, the ship’s Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions said the ship remains anchored offshore of Cape Verde. The statement was issued before WHO announced the evacuations of the three passengers, but Oceanwide noted they will be transferred to a specialized aircraft. Two of the three suspected cases are presenting acute symptoms and will be “transferred to medical and screening facilities,” while the third person has been identified as some one “closely associated with the guest who passed away on board.” The ship operator said two infectious disease physicians flying in from the Netherlands will embark the ship and remain on board after it departs Cape Verde. “At this stage, the planned destination for m/v Hondius following the successful medical transfer is the Canary Islands,” the statement added. The journey from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands is expected to take three days.
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health said the patient with the infection is a man who was onboard the ship with his wife. He called his primary care doctor and “went to the University Hospital Zurich” after detecting symptoms and was “immediately placed in isolation.” The authorities noted that although person-to-person transmission is possible with the Andes virus “transmission only occurs through close contact” and therefore “the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely.” The statement added that the patients wife has not shown any symptoms but is self-isolating as a precaution.
This aerial view shows a passenger watching as unseen health personnel assists patients onto a boat from the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia.
AFP via Getty Images
This aerial view shows crew members wearing hazmat suites on board of a boat heading towards the port from the cruise ship MV Hondius.
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Health personnel returning from the cruise ship MV Hondius, are seen at the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, as individuals wearing hazmat suits are helped into an ambulance.
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Health personnel evacuating passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, are seen at the Nelson Mandela International airport of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.
AFP via Getty Images
Health personnel evacuating passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, are seen at the Nelson Mandela International airport of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.
AFP via Getty Images
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