A British crew member with suspected hantavirus has been medically evacuated from the cruise ship linked to the outbreak.
The crew member, along with a Dutch colleague and another passenger, were taken from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius for onward travel to the Netherlands, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed.
The evacuation means the ship can now continue on its three-day journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for the boat to dock.
It has been anchored off Cape Verde while arrangements were put in place to evacuate the crew members.
Three suspected #hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands in coordination with @WHO, the ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.… pic.twitter.com/ON6YtN7SaJ
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the global health body, posted on X: “Three suspected hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands in co-ordination with WHO, the ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.
“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.
“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.
“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.”
