Three individuals with suspected hantavirus have been medically evacuated from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius. The evacuees include British expedition guide Martin Anstee, 56, a 41-year-old Dutch doctor, and a 65-year-old German passenger.
Martin Anstee told Sky News he was feeling okay but still undergoing tests. He is currently in isolation. Spanish health officials reported that his condition has stabilized after being critical.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed eight cases, five of which are laboratory-confirmed. The ship, carrying nearly 150 people, has been granted permission to dock in the Canary Islands, though the regional president expressed concerns.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on X that the three patients were evacuated to the Netherlands for medical care. He emphasized that the overall public health risk remains low.
A Dutch couple and a German national from the ship have died. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK is working with other countries to facilitate evacuations and support British nationals.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported that two individuals who returned to the UK independently are asymptomatic but advised to self-isolate. UKHSA is also tracing contacts who may have shared a flight with a confirmed case.
Swiss authorities confirmed a former passenger tested positive and is being treated in Zurich. The passenger left the ship at St. Helena, and his travel route to Switzerland remains unclear.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents; human-to-human transmission is rare. However, the Andes strain, prevalent in South America, has shown limited person-to-person spread. The outbreak is linked to a cruise that departed from Argentina in March.
South Africa's health ministry identified 62 contacts, including flight crew and healthcare workers, none of whom have tested positive so far.
Argentine officials hypothesize that the Dutch couple may have contracted the virus while birdwatching in Ushuaia, where they visited a landfill potentially exposed to rodents.
The ship is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands in three days. Oceanwide Expeditions stated it is coordinating quarantine and screening procedures with authorities.
Source: www.theguardian.com