New Delhi, May 7: Amid growing global concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Thursday that five cases of hantavirus have emerged linked to an outbreak on a cruise ship, with three additional cases under investigation.
A total of eight severe respiratory illness cases have been reported, resulting in three fatalities. Among these, five cases have been confirmed as infections from the Andes virus.
The WHO has alerted 12 countries whose citizens had disembarked from the cruise ship ‘MV Hondius’ in the remote British territory of Saint Helena, located in the South Atlantic Ocean.
These countries include Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated during a media briefing in Geneva that if public health measures are implemented swiftly and effectively, the agency hopes the outbreak will remain “limited.”
However, he cautioned that investigations into travelers and their contacts are ongoing in several countries, which may lead to more cases being identified.
The WHO reported that approximately 2,500 hantavirus test kits are being sent from laboratories in Argentina to five countries.
The Dutch operator of the ‘MV Hondius’, Oceanwide Expeditions, informed the media that there are a total of 149 people on board, including individuals from 23 different countries.
Meanwhile, two suspected hantavirus patients separated from the ‘MV Hondius’ are currently stranded in a grounded air ambulance in Spain’s Canary Islands, awaiting another flight due to a technical malfunction.
According to Spain’s health ministry, the aircraft departed from Cape Verde and was scheduled to stop for refueling in Marrakech, Morocco, on its way to Amsterdam. Reports indicate that Moroccan authorities did not grant landing permission.
The Spanish health ministry stated, “During refueling, the aircraft’s doctor reported a malfunction in the patients’ electrical support system.”
Previously, Spain had indicated it would allow the ‘MV Hondius’ to dock in the Canary Islands under international law and humanitarian considerations.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is currently assessing the ship’s situation to determine which individuals need immediate evacuation in Cape Verde. The remaining passengers and crew members are expected to reach the Canary Islands within the next three to four days.
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