Spain has granted permission for the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, to sail to the Canary Islands. Spain's Ministry of Health announced late Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) had explained that Cape Verde in West Africa was unable to receive the 147 crew and passengers on board.
"The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities," the ministry said in a statement. "Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are also several Spanish citizens." The ministry also said it would receive a medical flight carrying the ship's doctor, a Dutch national who is reportedly gravely ill, following a formal request from the Dutch government.
A Dutch couple and a German national died of the rare disease, typically spread through infected rodents' urine, droppings, and saliva, on board in early April. A British national, evacuated from the ship, is in intensive care in South Africa. Two crew members require urgent medical care, according to the ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions. Another suspected case has only reported mild fever.
The Spanish Health Ministry said the MV Hondius will journey to the Canary Islands once those needing evacuation are taken off. The Dutch government earlier said it was preparing to receive evacuated passengers. Oceanwide Expeditions said the journey will take three days, docking in either Gran Canaria or Tenerife. Upon arrival, passengers and crew will be examined, treated, and repatriated in coordination with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO.
WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters in Geneva that some rare human-to-human transmission may have occurred among close contacts on board. "We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission happening among really close contacts, husband and wife, people who have shared cabins," she said. However, the WHO reiterated that the risk to the wider public is low and that there are no rats on board.
The ship, carrying mostly British, American, and Spanish passengers, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, in late March. The voyage visited the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, and Tristan da Cunha, some of the remotest islands on Earth. Berth prices ranged from €14,000 to €22,000 ($16,000–$25,000). The first victim, a Dutch man, died on April 11; his body remained on board until April 24. His wife, who had gastrointestinal symptoms, died upon arrival at a Johannesburg hospital on April 26.
Source: www.aljazeera.com