Evacuation and Medical Care
Three passengers were evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship due to a hantavirus outbreak and are en route to the Netherlands for medical care, according to the World Health Organization on Wednesday. The individuals include German, Dutch, and British nationals, with one being a British crew member. Oceanwide Expeditions stated that two medical aircraft landed in the Netherlands carrying the evacuated individuals, where "all three individuals, two symptomatic and one asymptomatic, are now in the care of medical professionals." The U.K. Health Security Agency confirmed that one British national was evacuated and is receiving care in the Netherlands.
Investigation and Monitoring
Argentina is investigating whether it is the source of the hantavirus outbreak on the Atlantic cruise. The health ministry stated it is reconstructing the itinerary of a Dutch couple who traveled through southern Argentina and Chile before the expedition. Rodent capture and analysis will be conducted in Ushuaia. The U.K. Health Security Agency said it is aware of two other people who were aboard the MV Hondius who have since independently returned to the U.K. Neither is currently reporting symptoms, and they've been advised to self-isolate. Two Georgia residents who were passengers on the Hondius, but have since returned to Georgia, are being monitored but have shown no signs so far of infection, the Georgia Department of Health reported Wednesday.
Canary Islands Docking
The Spanish government reaffirmed Wednesday that the vessel would dock in the Canary Islands, despite local officials contesting the plan. Pedro Suarez, the head of the port authority in Tenerife, said he will not make any decision without a mandatory report from the Port Health Authority and the Maritime Authority. Spain's health minister Monica Garcia Gomez said the ship would dock in Tenerife "within three days." Oceanwide said it was continuing "to monitor the progress of m/v Hondius, which departed Cape Verde at 19:15 CET yesterday (May 6) and is sailing for the Canary Islands, specifically the port of Granadilla (Tenerife). This is expected to take 3-4 days."
International Response
The CDC is "coordinating with domestic and international partners" since learning of the outbreak, according to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. The CDC is "preparing medical support" for all 17 Americans aboard the cruise ship. South African authorities confirmed they identified the Andes strain of the hantavirus in two people who had previously been on the cruise. Swiss authorities announced that a man who previously traveled on the ship and returned home at the end of April had also tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus. A French "contact case" has been confirmed, according to the French Ministry of Health.
Public Health Assessment
Ann Lindstrand, the WHO representative in Cape Verde, said there was no risk of a pandemic-level threat with the hantavirus given the low likelihood of human-to-human transmission. Bhattacharya echoed that guidance, saying that hantavirus "is not spread by people without symptoms, transmission requires close contact, and the risk to the American public is very low." Oceanwide Expeditions said two infectious disease specialists were heading from the Netherlands to the cruise and would "remain with the vessel after its anticipated departure from Cape Verde."
Passengers aboard the MV Hondius can anticipate a "full investigation" and "full inspection" upon arrival in the Canary Islands, as coordinated between the Spanish government and the WHO.
