By Ginika Igboke
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius departed waters off Cape Verde on Wednesday and is heading to Spain after a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the vessel left three people dead and several others infected.
The ship, carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew, is expected to arrive in Tenerife within three days, according to Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia.
Garcia said passengers currently on board were not showing symptoms of the disease. Once the ship arrives, non-Spanish citizens who remain healthy will be repatriated to their home countries.
The 14 Spanish passengers aboard the vessel are expected to be quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid. Officials said the quarantine period would depend on the timing of possible exposure to the virus, which has an incubation period of up to 45 days.
Three Dead, Multiple Infections Under Investigation
The outbreak has already claimed the lives of a Dutch couple and a German national.
According to the World Health Organization, eight people are suspected of contracting the virus, including a Swiss citizen currently receiving treatment in Zurich. Laboratory tests have confirmed infections in three individuals.
Health authorities in Argentina announced they would conduct rodent trapping and testing in Ushuaia, where the cruise began on April 1.
Officials are also retracing the travel routes of Dutch passengers who visited Argentina and Chile before later showing symptoms aboard the vessel. Authorities said no related cases have been identified in Argentina so far.
Andes Strain Raises Concerns Over Rare Human Transmission
Health officials in South Africa confirmed the outbreak involved the Andes strain of hantavirus, one of the few known strains capable of rare human-to-human transmission through extremely close physical contact.
Argentina’s health ministry said it would share Andes virus RNA samples and treatment guidelines with laboratories in Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
South Africa’s health ministry emphasized that person-to-person spread remains uncommon.
“This is the only hantavirus strain known to cause human-to-human transmission, but such transmission is very rare and only happens through very close contact,” the ministry said.
The WHO also reiterated that the overall risk to the public remains low.
Maria Van Kerkhove explained that close-contact transmission generally involves situations such as sharing cabins or providing direct medical care and is “very, very different to COVID and very different to influenza.”
Emergency Evacuations Complicated by Aircraft Issues
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said three passengers evacuated from the ship on Wednesday were being transported to the Netherlands for treatment.
Dutch officials said the evacuees included a Dutch citizen, a German national, and a British passenger.
One aircraft transporting two patients from Cape Verde to Amsterdam reportedly attempted to refuel in Morocco but was denied permission to land. The plane later refueled in Gran Canaria.
Spanish officials said a technical problem later developed with a patient’s life-support system while the aircraft was on the ground in Gran Canaria. The patient was temporarily connected to the airport’s electrical system while awaiting another aircraft.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said two evacuated passengers had severe symptoms, while the third had been in close contact with the German passenger who died aboard the ship on May 2.
Passengers Remain Calm Despite Concerns
The cruise ship visited several remote destinations during its voyage, including Saint Helena. Dutch officials said around 40 people disembarked there, including the Swiss passenger who later developed symptoms.
Cape Verde authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark after the outbreak was detected, leaving the ship stranded offshore since Sunday.
Some residents in Tenerife expressed concern about the vessel arriving in the Canary Islands.
“People are scared,” said a local resident identified as Margarita Maria, who argued the ship should dock elsewhere in Spain.
Despite the outbreak, passengers aboard the ship said conditions remained calm.
Passenger Kasem Hato told Reuters that the captain had continued providing regular updates and that passengers were following precautionary measures such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand sanitizing.
“Our days have been close to normal,” Hato said. “We’re just waiting for authorities to find a solution, but morale on the ship is high.”
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