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The MV Hondius is currently off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde.<\/p>\n
CNN via CNN Newsource<\/p>\n
(CNN) \u2014 The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius departed Cape Verde for Tenerife on Wednesday, as authorities rush to trace anyone who may have come into contact with the virus.<\/p>\n
The journey from the archipelago nation off Africa\u2019s west coast to Spain\u2019s Canary Islands is expected to take three and a half days, the Spanish Ministry of Health told CNN.<\/p>\n
The ship\u2019s departure came soon after three people were evacuated from the vessel.<\/p>\n
However, a source from the ministry told CNN that the plane carrying two of the evacuees to Amsterdam had to make an unscheduled landing at Gran Canaria Airport, in the Canary Islands, to refuel after being refused permission to do so in Morocco. After landing, a failure in one of the patient\u2019s life-support systems left the aircraft effectively grounded and the crew are now awaiting a replacement aircraft before continuing on to the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe patient does not pose a risk to public health and will remain on the runway until the situation is resolved,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n
Another passenger previously on board the MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus and is being treated at a Swiss hospital, Switzerland\u2019s health ministry said Wednesday. That takes the total tally to eight cases of hantavirus \u2013 three confirmed and five suspected. Three people have died in the suspected outbreak and several others have fallen ill.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, local politicians are wrangling over the plan for the ship to dock in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago.<\/p>\n
While the rare disease is typically caused by contact with infected rodents\u2019 urine, faeces or saliva, the World Health Organization (WHO) said some human-to-human transmission may have occurred among people on board the vessel.<\/p>\n
And after sequencing the virus from some of those infected, health authorities confirmed this outbreak was caused by the Andes strain, which is known to have previously had some limited spread between people.<\/p>\n
The WHO has emphasized that the outbreak does not pose a wider public health risk. But they are rushing to complete contact tracing, including contacting the 88 people on a flight one of the victims took before she died, to contain the outbreak.<\/p>\n
And while Spain\u2019s health minister insists that the ship docking in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, doesn\u2019t pose a threat to the public, Fernando Clavijo, the archipelago\u2019s president, said Wednesday he\u2019s opposed to the ship docking there and requested an urgent meeting with Spain\u2019s Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez. Clavijo belongs to the conservative People\u2019s Party, which is S\u00e1nchez\u2019s main opposition.<\/p>\n
The government of the Canary Islands is not refusing to receive the vessel but \u201cdemands clear information\u201d about it, the president\u2019s office told CNN.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president is seeking clarification why the vessel is heading for the Canaries, when people could be repatriated from Cape Verde and not be left a further number of days on the ship,\u201d his office told CNN.<\/p>\n
Spain\u2019s health minister M\u00f3nica Garc\u00eda hit back at criticism, saying the government has been in constant contact with Clavijo at both a technical and political level.<\/p>\n
The vessel, which is operated by tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, had previously been anchored off the coast of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off Africa\u2019s west coast. Almost 150 people, including 17 Americans, remain onboard.<\/p>\n
A Dutch couple and German national have died while one British national remains in intensive care in South Africa, though the WHO said his condition is improving.<\/p>\n
What happens next?<\/p>\n
The plan is then for the ship to dock in Tenerife, where the WHO believes safe disembarkation can happen, for both those on board and the general public, Garc\u00eda, Spain\u2019s health minister, said.<\/p>\n
Oceanwide is liaising with relevant local authorities to plan the vessel\u2019s exact arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, it said Wednesday. The 14 Spanish passengers on board will be transported to a military hospital after being examined, while other passengers will be repatriated, Garc\u00eda said.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the US State Department told CNN it was closely tracking the crusie ship, and remains in close contact with the crew as well as international and US health authorities. The State Department \u201cstands ready to provide consular assistance\u201d to any affected Americans, the spokesperson added, with 17 Americans remaining onboard.<\/p>\n