GRANADILLA DE ABONA, Spain: A complex operation to evacuate passengers from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak neared completion Sunday, with 94 people of 19 nationalities flown home from Spain's Canary Islands.
Three passengers from the MV Hondius-a Dutch couple and a German woman-have died from the rare disease, which spreads among rodents. No vaccines or specific treatments exist. Health officials stress the global risk is low.
Passengers wore blue medical suits, disembarked onto smaller boats, and traveled to Tenerife South airport on army buses. Evacuees changed into fresh protective gear before flights.
Flights departed for the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, and the US. One of five French evacuees showed symptoms and was isolated. The WHO recommends a 42-day quarantine. Greece requires 45 days in hospital quarantine for one evacuee. US CDC says American passengers can go home with caution.
The WHO confirmed six cases of the Andes hantavirus strain, which is transmissible between humans. The ship left Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1. First infection likely occurred before departure, with human-to-human transmission onboard. Final repatriation flights to Australia and the Netherlands continue Monday.