Spain allowed a cruise ship, where cases of hantavirus were detected and three people died, to dock in the Canary Islands, the Spanish Ministry of Health reported, citing LETA, DPA, and AFP.
The decision was made in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles, according to a statement released on Tuesday evening.
The cruise ship Hondius, which has about 150 passengers and crew members on board, departed from the southern part of Argentina and is currently anchored off the Cape Verde Islands.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is assessing the situation on the ship to determine which individuals need to be urgently evacuated from Cape Verde, the Spanish ministry reported.
The remaining passengers and crew members are set to head to the Canary Islands on this ship, where they are expected to arrive in three to four days.
WHO previously stated that Cape Verde is not capable of taking the necessary measures on its own.
Thus, the Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary facilities to provide assistance, the ministry emphasized, adding that Spain has a moral and legal obligation to help the people on board, including several Spanish citizens.
Upon arrival in the Canary Islands, passengers and crew members will be examined, and if necessary, they will receive medical assistance and be repatriated to their home countries, the ministry noted.
Symptoms of hantavirus include respiratory distress, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting.
WHO believes that there has been human-to-human transmission of hantavirus on board the ship, said WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday.
As a result of the outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius, which flies the Dutch flag, three passengers have died.
The victims were an elderly couple from the Netherlands and a German citizen. WHO currently suspects seven cases of infection with this virus, and laboratory tests are ongoing.
Hantavirus infection is typically associated with exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents; however, the South African Department of Health reported on Wednesday that a passenger on the ship—a British citizen who was previously evacuated to South Africa—has tested positive for the Andes variant of the virus, which may allow for human-to-human transmission.
WHO believes that the chain of infection may have started with the Dutch couple, who likely contracted the virus before boarding the ship.
Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions stated that there were no rats on board the ship during the voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde when passengers began to fall ill.
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