HOSPITALISATIONS
After arriving in the Canary Islands on May 10, more than 120 passengers and crew were evacuated from the ship, either to their home countries or to the Netherlands, which has a special responsibility as the ship is Dutch-flagged.
A 65-year-old French woman became symptomatic on the repatriation flight and ended up in critical condition in a Paris hospital with a confirmed case of hantavirus.
Two people, one Dutch and one British, were also urgently evacuated from the ship to the Netherlands and rushed to hospital.
Both are in stable condition and the Briton is well enough to return home for self-isolation, according to Dutch officials.
All others evacuated to the Netherlands from the ship have tested negative for the virus. Some are in quarantine in the Netherlands, others have already flown home.
Everyone still on board is asymptomatic, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, and being closely monitored by the two medics on board.
Late on Sunday, the WHO said it was maintaining its assessment of the hantavirus outbreak as “low risk”.
“While additional cases may still occur among passengers and crew members exposed before containment measures were implemented, the risk of onward transmission is expected to be reduced following disembarkation and the implementation of control measures,” it said.
ANDES STRAIN
The people disembarking on Monday comprise 17 from the Philippines, four from the Netherlands (two crew and the two medical staff), four from Ukraine, one from Russia and one from Poland.
Some of them will stay in quarantine facilities at the port, while others will self-isolate at home.
Also on board is the body of a German woman who died during the voyage.
After docking, the ship will undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection procedures, according to the operator.
The MV Hondius’s voyage began on Apr 1 in Ushuaia, Argentina, taking in some remote islands in the South Atlantic Ocean before steaming north to Cape Verde.
The trip was supposed to finish there, but the ship eventually sailed to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for the evacuations by plane.
