Evacuation Underway for Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship
On Sunday, passengers began to disembark from the MV Hondius, a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak, which was anchored off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. This followed its arrival there as evacuation efforts commenced.
An Associated Press reporter observed passengers leaving the ship and reaching the shore. Notably, among the over 140 people on board, none showed symptoms of the virus, according to reports from Spanish authorities, the World Health Organization, and the cruise line, Oceanwide Expeditions.
Small boats transported individuals from the MV Hondius to the Granadilla port, where officials waited to guide them onto buses for transport to a medical facility for quarantine. Spain’s health minister indicated that Spanish nationals would be the first to disembark.
The cruise ship arrived in Tenerife early Sunday, having departed Cape Verde on May 6. Since the outbreak began, there have been three fatalities, and five passengers who exited the ship later tested positive for hantavirus— a virus that can lead to severe illness.
As passengers disembark, they will be screened for symptoms, and the process is set to continue only as evacuation flights prepare to transport them to their respective destinations.
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García stated that the operation was proceeding as planned. Authorities hope to conclude the evacuation flights by Monday, with individuals from over 20 different nationalities aboard.
The WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will oversee the operations, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers. Passengers and crew members departing the ship will have no contact with the local population.
Hantavirus typically spreads through inhalation of contaminated droppings from rodents and does not easily transmit between people. However, the strain detected aboard the cruise ship may have some potential for human-to-human transmission. Symptoms usually manifest one to eight weeks post-exposure.
Disembarking passengers are leaving behind most of their luggage, taking only essential items like a small bag, cellphone, charger, and necessary documents. Some crew members and the body of a passenger who died on board will remain on the vessel, which is slated to continue to Rotterdam for disinfection.
Quarantine and Evacuation Plans in Place
The Spanish nationals will be taken to a medical facility for quarantine. Oceanwide identified 13 Spanish passengers and one crew member aboard. Comparatively, citizens from the U.S., U.K., and the Netherlands will be evacuated by their respective governments. Americans will be quarantined at a center in Nebraska.
A Dutch charter flight will carry 29 individuals, encompassing both Dutch nationals and others. Five French passengers are set to return and will be hospitalized for 72 hours while being monitored, followed by a 45-day quarantine at home.
The U.K. passengers and crew will undergo observation in a hospital once they return to Britain. Australia plans to send a flight to evacuate its nationals and neighbors’ citizens on Monday, which will be the last flight from Tenerife.
Norway dispatched an ambulance plane to Tenerife, staffed with personnel trained to handle high-risk infection patients. Interestingly, the plane is operated by Norway but belongs to the European Union.
Monitoring Cases Beyond the Ship
In a separate instance, British Army medics parachuted onto the remote territory of Tristan da Cunha to assess a suspected hantavirus case among one of its 221 residents. This person had previously disembarked from the MV Hondius last month.
The U.K. defense ministry noted that a team of paratroopers and medical personnel dropped supplies, including oxygen, as well. Tristan da Cunha is Britain’s most isolated overseas territory, located about 1,500 miles from the nearest inhabited island.
Additionally, a Spanish woman in Alicante, suspected of having the virus, tested negative. She traveled on the same flight as the Dutch passenger who died after leaving the cruise ship.
