Cruise Ship with Hantavirus Outbreak Arrives in Tenerife: What You Need to Know
Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship
Tenerife (Spain): A cruise ship affected by hantavirus, carrying over 140 individuals, has docked at Tenerife, the largest island in Spain's Canary Islands, located off the West African coast. Passengers and some crew members are set to disembark.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Spanish officials, and the cruise line Oceanwide Expeditions, no one aboard the MV Hondius is currently exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
The outbreak has resulted in three fatalities, with five passengers who disembarked from the ship confirmed to be infected with hantavirus, a virus that can lead to severe health issues.
The vessel will not dock at the port but will remain anchored, with passengers being ferried to shore in small boats. Each individual disembarking will undergo health checks for symptoms and will only leave the ship once evacuation flights are arranged.
Passengers from over 20 different nationalities are currently on board.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain's health and interior ministers, will oversee the evacuation process. Authorities have assured that those disembarking will not interact with the local population.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and is not easily spread between humans. However, the Andes virus identified in this outbreak may have the potential for rare human-to-human transmission. Symptoms can appear between one to eight weeks post-exposure.
Officials aim to complete the evacuation flights by Sunday and Monday, as stated by Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management director, during a briefing on Saturday.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom have committed to sending aircraft to evacuate their citizens. American evacuees will be quarantined at a medical facility in Nebraska.
Spanish passengers will be taken to a medical center for quarantine. Oceanwide has reported 13 Spanish passengers and one crew member on board.
Disembarking individuals will leave their luggage behind and may only carry a small bag with essential items, including a cellphone, charger, and necessary documents.
Some crew members, along with the body of a deceased passenger, will remain on the ship, which is scheduled to continue to the Netherlands for disinfection, according to Spanish authorities.