A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has triggered a medical evacuation operation. Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch operator of the MV Hondius, confirmed Tuesday that two passengers requiring urgent care and one individual linked to a deceased guest will be evacuated by two specialized aircraft en route to Cape Verde. Their final destination is the Netherlands.
The timeline for the evacuation remains unclear. Once the evacuees are in transit, the MV Hondius will sail for the Canary Islands, a three-day journey. The ship has been anchored off Cape Verde since Saturday, following the deaths of three passengers suspected to be from the rare rodent-borne virus.
The World Health Organization is now tracing contacts on a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg taken by one of the deceased passengers. That passenger, a Dutch woman whose husband died on the ship, fell ill mid-flight and died upon arrival in Johannesburg on April 26. Tests later confirmed hantavirus. The WHO suspects human-to-human transmission may have occurred on the ship.
Saint Helena's government has asked some residents who may have come into contact with passengers to isolate. Two passengers with mild symptoms reportedly went ashore before the outbreak was known. The territory reports no local cases and no major concern.