Hantavirus cruise ship evacuation near Cape Verde prompts WHO tracing in Europe and Africa

Three passengers with suspected hantavirus infections were being moved off the MV Hondius to the Netherlands on Wednesday, according to the UN health agency. The ship stayed off Cape Verde with nearly 150 people onboard. The group was waiting to sail to Spain’s Canary Islands. Associated Press video showed medics in protective suits boarding for the evacuation.

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The evacuation included the ship’s British doctor, officials in Spain said. Spain’s health ministry reported the doctor had been in serious condition. The ministry said the condition later improved. An air ambulance later departed. The World Health Organisation said three people have died. The WHO said one body was still onboard.

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: cases, deaths and public risk

The WHO said eight cases were recorded on the ship in total. Laboratory tests confirmed three of those cases. Hantavirus often spreads by breathing in infected rodent droppings, the WHO said. The agency added that person-to-person spread can happen. The WHO described such spread as rare.

Contact tracing started in Europe and Africa, the WHO said. Authorities were looking for possible infections linked to earlier travellers. Those people had already left the vessel. The ship departed more than a month ago from South America. The route included Antarctica and remote Atlantic islands.

The Dutch foreign ministry said the evacuees were a 41-year-old Dutch national, a 56-year-old British national, and a 65-year-old German national. The ministry said all three would go to specialised hospitals in Europe. A Dutch hospital confirmed it would receive one patient. German authorities were preparing to receive a second patient.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship operator, said two evacuees remained in serious condition. The third person had no symptoms, the operator said. That person was closely linked to a German passenger who died on May 2. Health officials said people still onboard showed no symptoms. The WHO said passengers represented 23 nationalities.

Spain’s health ministry said the trip to the Canary Islands would take three or four days. The ministry said the ship’s arrival would not pose a risk to the public. Spain said it would receive the ship after a request. The request came from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: strain details and medical warning

Authorities said tests in Switzerland, South Africa and Senegal were positive for the Andes strain. The WHO said this strain is found in South America, mainly Argentina and Chile. The WHO said the Andes strain can spread between people. The agency said this needs close contact and remains rare.

The World Health Organisation’s top epidemic expert said public risk remained low. The expert noted WHO had not seen a hantavirus outbreak on a ship before. "This is not the next Covid, but it is a serious infectious disease,\" Maria Van Kerkhove said. \"Most people will never be exposed to this.\"

Van Kerkhove said care access mattered for those onboard. Van Kerkhove warned infected patients can develop severe breathing failure. Van Kerkhove said such patients may need oxygen or a ventilator. Van Kerkhove said the incubation period is one to six weeks. Van Kerkhove added it could be longer.

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: route, isolation and Canary Islands concerns

The ship left Argentina on April 1, the WHO said. The itinerary included mainland Antarctica and several Atlantic islands. The WHO listed South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena and Ascension. The ship was later in the Atlantic near Cape Verde. The WHO said passengers were isolating in cabins.

Van Kerkhove said two Dutch infectious diseases experts were joining the ship. Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo raised concerns about population risk. Fernando Clavijo demanded a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Officials elsewhere also tracked travel linked to the vessel. Some earlier passengers left the ship during island stops.

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: tracing in Switzerland and South Africa

Swiss authorities said a former passenger was treated in a Zurich hospital. The person tested positive for the Andes strain, officials said. Swiss health office spokesperson Simon Ming said the patient left during the St Helena stop. The travel route to Switzerland was unclear. The patient’s wife showed no symptoms and self-isolated, officials said.

Swiss officials said there was no current risk to the public. They were checking whether the patient met other people. In South Africa, authorities reported two transferred passengers tested positive. One British man was in intensive care, officials said. Another passenger collapsed and died in South Africa, authorities said.

At St. Helena, officials removed the body of a Dutch man suspected as the first case onboard. Authorities said the wife flew to South Africa. The wife collapsed at Johannesburg airport and died, officials said. A British man was later evacuated at Ascension Island. The man was taken to South Africa, authorities said.

South Africa’s health ministry said 42 of 62 contacts were traced. The ministry said these contacts included health workers. All 42 tested negative for hantavirus, the ministry said. Officials still needed to trace 20 people. The group included five possible flight passengers and crew members, officials said. Some may have travelled overseas.

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: suspected origin linked to Ushuaia visit

Two Argentine officials described a leading theory on the outbreak’s origin. The officials said a Dutch couple may have been infected in Ushuaia. The couple reportedly joined a bird-watching tour before boarding. The officials said the tour included a landfill visit. The officials said the couple may have met rodents there.

The Argentine officials spoke anonymously due to the ongoing investigation. Authorities had earlier said Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego had never recorded a hantavirus case. The WHO continued to monitor the ship off Cape Verde. Evacuations and tracing efforts were ongoing across countries. Health officials said those still onboard remained without symptoms while awaiting travel to the Canary Islands.

With inputs from PTI