The World Health Organization said Wednesday that three hantavirus cases and five suspected cases were linked to an outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, where three passengers have died and authorities in Cabo Verde blocked everyone from disembarking. Two crew members, including the ship’s doctor, were evacuated on a hospital plane, and a third person linked to one of the dead was later flown out after developing symptoms.
The Dutch cruise ship had departed from Ushuaia, in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, and was crossing the Atlantic when the deaths were reported. The WHO said the evacuated people were headed to the Netherlands, while the remaining passengers were expected to continue to the Canary Islands and arrive in three to four days.
The case has unsettled officials because the virus involved is the Andes variant, and WHO infectious-disease expert Maria Van Kerkhove said the agency suspects it may have spread from person to person aboard the ship. She said some passengers were couples sharing a cabin, calling it a close form of contact. The first person to fall ill may have picked up the virus before boarding.
Spain’s health ministry said the ship had not yet decided which port it would use, and the president of the Canary Islands autonomous community refused to allow passengers to disembark there. Oceanwide Expeditions said its plan was to sail to Gran Canaria or Tenerife, with about 149 people and crew still on board under strict precautionary measures. Jake Rosmarin said there was a lot of uncertainty, calling it the hardest part.
Hantavirus is usually transmitted by rodents, with people often infected after inhaling particles from dried rodent droppings. Infection can also occur when the virus is carried through the air by urine, feces or saliva from a rodent. For the passengers still aboard the MV Hondius, the question now is less about where the ship will dock than whether the outbreak can be contained before it reaches land again.