Passengers and crew await urgent screening and possible evacuation. Health agencies coordinate cross-border testing and repatriation while assessing transmission risk among close contacts.
The luxury cruise ship Hondius, which became the victim of a hantavirus outbreak, is nearing Europe after Spain granted docking permissions at the Canary Islands. The vessel, travelling from Cabo Verde, is awaiting official clearance to dock at a port in the Canary Islands.
Spain’s Ministry of Health said that the request for review of the case had come from the World Health Organization and the European Union, asking to act “in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles” regarding the MV Hondius.
On Tuesday evening it was expected that the ship would receive a medical aircraft with the ship’s doctor, a Dutch national who, according to reports, was gravely ill, following an official request from the Dutch government.
Officials said that since the start of April a Dutch couple and a German national have died from hantavirus, while a British national was evacuated from the ship and is in an intensive care unit in South Africa.
Two crew members require urgent medical care, the MV Hondius operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. Another person aboard with a suspected infection has only a moderate fever.
Cabo Verde initially planned it as the ship’s final destination, but the country west of Africa did not allow passenger disembarkation.
After arriving at the Canary Islands, the port has not yet been determined; Spain’s Ministry of Health said that the crew and passengers will be screened, receive medical care, and be repatriated to their countries in coordination with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization.
Comprehensive safety measures will be put in place: medical care and transportation will be provided in dedicated facilities and vehicles to avoid contact with the local population and to protect healthcare workers.
“We truly believe that person-to-person transmission may occur between very close contacts – between a husband and wife, people sharing cabins,”
– Maria Van Kerkhove
“We just want you to know: we are working with the ship operators. We are working with the countries you came from. We hear you, we understand that you are frightened.”
– Maria Van Kerkhove
Although person-to-person transmission is not typical for this virus, the World Health Organization reiterates that the risk to the wider public remains low. Earlier, limited spread among close contacts was observed in previous outbreaks of the Andes strain, which is predominantly found in South America. Testing is ongoing.
MV Hondius left southern Argentina in March – a ship that rarely leaves its traditional routes – with a small number of known rats on board; no signs were reported. According to the WHO, it is suspected that the Dutch couple who joined the ship in Argentina were infected before boarding the cruise. Ultimately, other cases could arise during trips to islands where birds and rodents reside, which are part of the itinerary.
TRIP BEGINS IN SOUTHERN ARGENTINA
Hondius largely carries British, American and Spanish passengers on a luxury itinerary that began in southern Argentina at the end of March. The vessel visited the Antarctic Peninsula and the remote islands of South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha – from one of the farthest corners of the planet.
The itinerary was promoted as an Antarctic nature-journey with cabin prices ranging from 14,000 to 22,000 euros.
The first passenger casualty, a Dutch national, died on 11 April. According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the body remained aboard until 24 April and was repatriated to Saint Helena together with his wife. She had gastrointestinal symptoms at disembarkation and worsened during the flight to Johannesburg, where she died on 26 April, the WHO noted, adding that contact tracing for passengers on that flight is ongoing.
It has been confirmed that the British passenger is being treated at a Johannesburg hospital, and the virus has also been confirmed in the Dutch woman who died.