Evacuees from Hantavirus Cruise Ship Land in Europe
Three individuals, including two crew members and one contact person, evacuated from the MV Hondius off Cape Verde land in the Netherlands amid a hantavirus outbreak.
Schiphol, Netherlands: A plane carrying three passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which is experiencing an outbreak of the deadly hantavirus, has landed in the Netherlands.
The World Health Organization (WHO) downplayed concerns about the situation, stating that it does not compare to the Covid-19 pandemic and emphasized that the risk to the global community remains low.The WHO stated that three individuals—two crew members displaying symptoms and another who had been in contact with a confirmed case—were evacuated from the ship off Cape Verde.
These evacuees subsequently boarded flights at Praia Airport in Cape Verde's capital.
One of these flights landed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at 1747 GMT, according to journalists present at the scene.Another flight carrying two patients landed at Las Palmas in Spain's Canary Islands earlier on Wednesday afternoon, as observed by an AFP journalist.
Spanish officials noted that the plane had landed for technical reasons, and the health ministry clarified that the patients would need a new aircraft to proceed to the Netherlands.Experts have confirmed that the strain of hantavirus present aboard the Hondius is a rare form capable of human-to-human transmission.
However, global health authorities maintain that there is minimal risk of a wider outbreak due to the virus's lower contagion level compared to Covid-19.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus assured that the situation does not mirror the Covid pandemic and that the risk to the rest of the world remains low.The Hondius, which set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1st, has been at the center of an international health concern since Saturday.
Three passengers have died, and hantavirus is suspected as the cause.
Typically spread through contact with infected rodents via urine, droppings, and saliva, this rare respiratory disease has already claimed a Dutch passenger's life onboard on April 11th.
His wife subsequently succumbed to the illness in South Africa after leaving the ship.Two other individuals are currently being treated—one in Johannesburg and another in Zurich, Switzerland.
Spanish Health Minister Monica García Gómez announced that the vessel is expected to dock within three days at Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
From there, all foreign passengers deemed healthy enough will be repatriated to their home countries.Health experts have highlighted concerns about a potential wider outbreak following revelations that one of the deceased had flown on a commercial flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg while displaying symptoms.
Airlink, a South African carrier, confirmed that this flight carried 82 passengers and six crew members, with officials now tracing contacts aboard the flight.To further fuel worries of additional contact, Dutch airline KLM revealed that one of the individuals who died had briefly been on their flight from Johannesburg to the Netherlands on April 25th.
However, they were removed before departure.Global health authorities have echoed WHO's reassurance that there is low danger.
South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi stated that such transmissions are rare and typically occur only through close contact between individuals.
He confirmed that tests identified the Andes virus as the form of hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission.
The WHO’s Cape Verde representative, Ann Lindstrand, reported that the three removed from the ship were in stable condition, with one showing no symptoms.Initially, the MV Hondius had 88 passengers and 59 crew members aboard, representing 23 nationalities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) downplayed concerns about the situation, stating that it does not compare to the Covid-19 pandemic and emphasized that the risk to the global community remains low.The WHO stated that three individuals—two crew members displaying symptoms and another who had been in contact with a confirmed case—were evacuated from the ship off Cape Verde.
These evacuees subsequently boarded flights at Praia Airport in Cape Verde's capital.
One of these flights landed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at 1747 GMT, according to journalists present at the scene.Another flight carrying two patients landed at Las Palmas in Spain's Canary Islands earlier on Wednesday afternoon, as observed by an AFP journalist.
Spanish officials noted that the plane had landed for technical reasons, and the health ministry clarified that the patients would need a new aircraft to proceed to the Netherlands.Experts have confirmed that the strain of hantavirus present aboard the Hondius is a rare form capable of human-to-human transmission.
However, global health authorities maintain that there is minimal risk of a wider outbreak due to the virus's lower contagion level compared to Covid-19.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus assured that the situation does not mirror the Covid pandemic and that the risk to the rest of the world remains low.The Hondius, which set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1st, has been at the center of an international health concern since Saturday.
Three passengers have died, and hantavirus is suspected as the cause.
Typically spread through contact with infected rodents via urine, droppings, and saliva, this rare respiratory disease has already claimed a Dutch passenger's life onboard on April 11th.
His wife subsequently succumbed to the illness in South Africa after leaving the ship.Two other individuals are currently being treated—one in Johannesburg and another in Zurich, Switzerland.
Spanish Health Minister Monica García Gómez announced that the vessel is expected to dock within three days at Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
From there, all foreign passengers deemed healthy enough will be repatriated to their home countries.Health experts have highlighted concerns about a potential wider outbreak following revelations that one of the deceased had flown on a commercial flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg while displaying symptoms.
Airlink, a South African carrier, confirmed that this flight carried 82 passengers and six crew members, with officials now tracing contacts aboard the flight.To further fuel worries of additional contact, Dutch airline KLM revealed that one of the individuals who died had briefly been on their flight from Johannesburg to the Netherlands on April 25th.
However, they were removed before departure.Global health authorities have echoed WHO's reassurance that there is low danger.
South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi stated that such transmissions are rare and typically occur only through close contact between individuals.
He confirmed that tests identified the Andes virus as the form of hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission.
The WHO’s Cape Verde representative, Ann Lindstrand, reported that the three removed from the ship were in stable condition, with one showing no symptoms.Initially, the MV Hondius had 88 passengers and 59 crew members aboard, representing 23 nationalities.
