EURONEWS
Hantavirus outbreak: Medical aircraft travelling to the Netherlands with all infected patients
All those infected with hantavirus from the MV Hondius cruise ship are being evacuated from Cabo Verde to the Netherlands aboard medical aircraft.
Three patients with suspected hantavirus from the cruise ship MV Hondius are being evacuated to the Netherlands, as international authorities respond to an outbreak on board.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the patients are already on their way. “At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low,” he wrote on his X account.
Among those evacuated is the ship’s doctor, Spain’s health ministry said. The ministry added that the doctor, who had initially been due to be flown to the Canary Islands in serious condition, is now being transported directly to the Netherlands "after his health had improved."
The Hondius, which departed from Argentina, is currently in the waters of Cape Verde, where it diverted after several cases of hantavirus were detected during its Atlantic crossing.
As of 6 May, the WHO has identified eight cases of passengers from the vessel, including three deaths, one critically ill patient, and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.
According to the international agency, the first symptoms appeared between 6 and 28 April and were characterised by fever and gastrointestinal disorders, with a rapid progression in some cases to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock.
The remaining passengers, who show no symptoms, are scheduled to disembark this Saturday in Tenerife, where the European evacuation and repatriation mechanism will be activated. The vessel will dock at the port of Granadilla de Abona, from where foreign travelers will return to their home countries and the 14 Spanish nationals will be transferred to Madrid.
Apart from those with symptoms, the remaining passengers and crew will be examined and treated according to a common protocol developed by the WHO and the ECDC, once the ship arrives in the archipelago in an estimated three to four days.
This procedure includes specific health and transport circuits, "avoiding all contact with the local population and guaranteeing the safety of health personnel at all times", according to an official statement from the Ministry of Health.
The government has stressed that it will provide timely information on the details of the protocol and its implementation. The operation also includes the subsequent repatriation of passengers and crew members to their countries of origin, including several Spanish citizens, once the medical and epidemiological evaluations have been completed.
Tracking of a hantavirus-contacted flight
The WHO is tracing more than 80 passengers following a case of hantavirus on a flightto Johannesburg that included a woman who subsequently died from hantavirus. The victim, a Dutch national, had previously been evacuated from the island of St Helena after developing symptoms.
The international health agency confirmed that the 69-year-old woman was flown on 25 April on a plane operated by Airlink, carrying 82 passengers and six crew members. She died the next day in hospital, her infection with the virus was confirmed days later.
How is hantavirus transmitted?
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents and transmitted to humans mainly by inhalation of particles from dried droppings, urine, or saliva. The risk increases when these materials are stirred up and become airborne or by direct contact with infected animals.
Infection can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which starts with symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, dizziness, chills, and gastrointestinal disorders. In later stages, it can progress to severe respiratory distress and hypotension, making severe cases a medical emergency.
The incubation period is usually between two and four weeks after exposure, but can range from one week to eight weeks.
There is no specific treatment and the virus can occur in different variants, with the American variant being the most severe. Human-to-human transmission is very rare and, when it has been described, requires very close and prolonged contact.
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