On Wednesday, a potential hantavirus patient was evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship under dramatic circumstances, clad in a hazmat suit and transported on a gurney. The luxury vessel, currently stranded off the coast of West Africa, holds nearly 150 passengers who remain confined aboard amidst the health crisis.
The World Health Organization confirmed that three individuals, two of whom are in critical condition, were taken off the ship that is docked near Cape Verde. These individuals have been transported to the Netherlands to receive necessary medical attention amid the outbreak.
One evacuee was captured in a photograph, fully protected in hazmat gear, as they were transferred from an ambulance to a waiting aircraft. The scene was tense, with police officers dressed in white protective suits stationed at the port of Praia, Cape Verde’s capital city. A small red ambulance boat was seen shuttling back and forth between the stricken cruise liner and the shore.
The evacuated individuals, suspected to have contracted the virus, include a 56-year-old British citizen, a 41-year-old Dutch citizen, and a 65-year-old German citizen. Notably, one of them is the ship’s doctor, whose health was previously classified as “serious” but who has since shown signs of improvement, according to Spain’s health ministry.
The three patients, who are believed to be infected with the virus, include a 56-year-old British national, a 41-year-old Dutch national and a 65-year-old German national, officials said.
One of them is the ship’s doctor, who earlier was in “serious condition” but has improved, Spain’s health ministry said.
The passengers and crew members still left on the ship aren’t showing any symptoms, officials said.
The ship is now expected to sail to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where they’ll finally be allowed to disembark.
Non-Spanish citizens will be immediately repatriated to their native countries after the ship arrives – meaning they won’t have to quarantine in Spain, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said.
The 14 Spaniards on board will be transferred by plane to a hospital in Madrid to quarantine.
It comes as authorities in Switzerland revealed a former passenger of the Dutch-flagged ship was now being treated at a Zurich university hospital after testing positive.
The passenger went to the hospital for testing after the cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, emailed a recent traveler about the spreading virus.
Three people have died so far amid the outbreak, including a Dutch couple and a German national.
A British national was previously evacuated from the ship and is in intensive care in South Africa.
Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings and can spread person-to-person, but the WHO insists such transmission is rare.
“WHO continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow-up and evacuation where needed,” WHO director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“Monitoring and follow-up for passengers on board and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities.”
With Post wires
