The cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak is on its way to Rotterdam after the last of its passengers were evacuated in Spain’s Canary Islands, bringing a complex two-day operation to a close.
Three people died after the rare virus was detected aboard the MV Hondius, sending health authorities across multiple countries into action.
Among those evacuated, seven cases have been confirmed among living passengers, with an eighth listed as probable by the World Health Organisation.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia Gomez declared the evacuation a success after 125 passengers and crew members from 23 countries were brought ashore in Tenerife and repatriated to their home countries.
“Between yesterday and today, we have evacuated the 125 passengers and crew members from 23 countries, who have either already returned home or are in the process of being repatriated,” she said.
Among the confirmed cases, a French woman who tested positive was hospitalised and placed in intensive care in stable condition, while a Spanish passenger also tested positive.
Health authorities in several countries are now tracking down passengers who had already left the ship before the outbreak was detected, as well as anyone who may have come into contact with them.
The ship, which is still carrying the body of a German passenger who died during the voyage, is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on Sunday evening where it will undergo full disinfection.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to calm fears at a news conference in Tenerife, drawing a clear line between this outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is not another Covid,” he said, adding that the evacuated passengers were now in good hands.
The MV Hondius had departed Argentina on April 1 for a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde.
The WHO believes the first infection occurred before the voyage began, with the virus then spreading between passengers on board.
However, Argentine health officials have raised questions about whether the outbreak actually originated in the southern city of Ushuaia, pointing to the virus’s weeks-long incubation period as a key factor in their assessment.
No vaccines or specific treatments currently exist for hantavirus, but health officials have stressed that the risk to the general public remains low.
