Passengers Evacuate Cruise Ship Amid Hantavirus Concerns

On Sunday morning, passengers began disembarking from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak after it anchored off the Canary Islands. Global health officials are attempting to ease anxiety about the situation by promising to monitor those returning to shore closely.

The MV Hondius docked at Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife, the largest island, early Sunday, according to Spanish health authorities. Mónica García, Spain’s health minister, assured the media that all individuals on board were asymptomatic and that health officials conducted an epidemiological assessment once the ship arrived.

Passengers and crew started leaving the ship in small groups, a process expected to continue through Monday evening, following nearly six weeks at sea. This comes a month after the first reported death on the ship due to the illness.

There are around 150 people on board, which includes crew, passengers, and four medical staff members who joined while it was anchored near Cape Verde, an island group in the Atlantic Ocean.

As the ship approached the Canary Islands on Saturday, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, addressed the local community’s fears. He acknowledged the unease caused by the word “outbreak,” referencing memories from the COVID-19 pandemic, which still lingered for many.

Dr. Tedros emphasized, “I need you to hear me clearly: This is not another Covid,” a statement directed to the residents of Tenerife. This reassurance followed attempts by the regional government to prevent the ship’s arrival due to health safety concerns.

Ultimately, the Spanish government mandated the ship’s anchoring in the archipelago, disregarding the regional leader’s last-minute veto based on insufficient health information for residents.

Since April 11, three passengers have died, and five others have shown symptoms of hantavirus, which is a rare virus typically transmitted by rodents. The W.H.O. has confirmed this pathogen in six individuals, including two of the deceased, while two additional cases are considered probable.

Health officials globally are implementing measures to prevent further spread of the outbreak. They’ve anticipated a “limited” outbreak if appropriate public health protocols are followed.

Currently, the ship is docked in an industrial port in Tenerife, away from the public. Passengers will be taken ashore in small boats, then transported to an airport for repatriation to their home countries, Spanish authorities stated.

Ms. García assured that Spain would handle the situation properly, with no further contact beyond what has already occurred on the ship. Spanish citizens will be the first to disembark, with the evacuation expected to wrap up by Monday evening. A flight from Australia is scheduled to carry the last remaining passengers, and the body of one of the deceased will stay on board.

After everyone has disembarked, the MV Hondius will head to the Netherlands for disinfection, as noted by Spain’s interior minister. Maria Van Kerkhove from the W.H.O. labeled everyone on board as “high-risk contacts,” while reiterating the low risk posed to the general public.

If any passenger presents symptoms during evaluations, they will be flown separately to the Netherlands for treatment. The W.H.O. has recommended a 42-day period of active monitoring and follow-up for all who disembark, although human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare, with the Andes strain confirmed as the one potentially spreading among humans.

Countries such as Canada, Denmark, France, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States are working to trace those who may have been exposed, following the ship’s departure from Argentina in early April. Health officials are monitoring individuals who were aboard or in contact with ill passengers.

In France, five citizens from the ship will return home on Sunday, where they will be hospitalized and quarantined for health monitoring for three days, followed by 45 days of isolation at home, the foreign ministry announced. So far, there have been no confirmed hantavirus cases in France, according to local authorities.