The World Health Organization says that to date, there are eight cases of hantavirus infection linked to the MV Hondius, which is currently en route to the Canary Islands. Three passengers who boarded the Hondius have died, one of whom was confirmed infected.
But investigations continue as the situation grows complex. Nearly 150 passengers and crew members from 23 different nationalities are still on board the ship, with several reportedly disembarking before news of the outbreak emerged. Health authorities also confirmed that the hantavirus involved in the outbreak is the Andes strain, the only known strain transmissible between people and has been linked to infections with higher mortality.
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, a city in southern Argentina, on April 1. One person on board the ship was an Argentine national.
While the source of the outbreak hasn’t been determined, the Argentine government has looked into whether the infections stemmed from the country. The AP reported, citing two unidentified investigators, that two of the three deaths, involving a married Dutch couple, may have ties to Ushuaia, with officials speculating that the couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in the city that brought them to a landfill where they could have been exposed.
Cabo Verde
Before setting sail for the Canary Islands on May 6, three people on board the Hondius were evacuated to the Netherlands via medical aircraft for screening and treatment.
An asymptomatic German was evacuated on May 6, and will reportedly be brought to a hospital in Düsseldorf for testing after having contact with the German who died.
The Netherlands
Two Dutch nationals, husband and wife, are among the three reported deaths from the Hondius. The woman, who died in South Africa, tested positive for hantavirus.
Also among the evacuees on May 6 was a 41-year-old Dutch national, who is reportedly a crew member.
South Africa
The Dutch woman who died in South Africa first flew in from St. Helena, a British territory near the country. The WHO said that she deteriorated during her flight to Johannesburg. According to South African media, she collapsed at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. She died in the hospital on April 26.
Thirteen passengers and a crew member aboard the MV Hondius are Spanish.
MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Canary Islands in three to four days after departing from Cabo Verde, but the President of the Canary Islands has pushed back, saying he will not allow passengers to disembark, citing potential dangers to the local population.
Switzerland
According to Oceanwide Expeditions on May 4, 19 passengers and four crew members on the ship were from Great Britain.
Another British national suspected of an infection, a crew member, was among those evacuated from the ship on May 6.
United States
Seventeen of the MV Hondius passengers are from the United States.
From starting its monitoring in 1993 until 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected 890 cases of hantavirus in the country, of which 35% resulted in deaths.
Other passengers aboard the MV Hondius hail from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Japan, Montenegro, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. All of them are asymptomatic to date, and the Spanish health ministry said that when the ship docks in the Canary Islands, the non-Spanish citizens will be repatriated to their countries.
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