Passengers are being evacuated from a cruise ship off the coast of Tenerife due to the hantavirus
This is according to Reuters.
Spanish nationals were the first to be evacuated
Spanish passengers were brought ashore in small boats in groups of five. They were then transported by bus to the local airport. Passengers without symptoms of the hantavirus are to be flown by military aircraft to Madrid, where they will be quarantined in hospital. The Spanish authorities have emphasised that those evacuated will not come into contact with the general public.
Several countries have joined the evacuation
The day before, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the US, the UK and the Netherlands confirmed they were sending planes to evacuate their citizens. According to Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García, passengers from the Netherlands will be the next to leave the ship after the Spanish nationals. Their flight will also evacuate people from Germany, Belgium and Greece. Later, citizens of Turkey, France, the UK and the US are to be taken off the ship. The final evacuation flight will arrive from Australia. It is planned to take six passengers from Australia, New Zealand and Asian countries.
What is known about the hantavirus outbreak
The cruise ship set sail for Spain from the coast of Cape Verde after the World Health Organisation and the EU requested the evacuation of passengers. According to the WHO, eight people have fallen ill and have already left the ship. Three of them have died — a couple from the Netherlands and a German national. Six cases have been confirmed by laboratory tests, with two further cases still under investigation. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has stated that all passengers on the MV Hondius are considered high-risk contacts. At the same time, the risk to the general public is assessed as low.
No rodents found on board
The Spanish Ministry of Health reported that health inspections were carried out on board and no rodents were found, which are usually responsible for spreading the hantavirus. According to the Spanish authorities, conditions on the ship meet standards, and the likelihood of the virus being transmitted through contact with rodents is considered low. The WHO has recommended a 42-day quarantine for passengers, starting on Sunday.
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