The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that three people have died as a result of infection with the hantavirus on board the cruise ship MV Hondius.
One person with a confirmed infection is receiving intensive care in Johannesburg, while at least two more people on the ship are suspected of having been infected with the virus.
Those to be evacuated will be taken ashore in Cape Verde, from where they will be flown on to the Netherlands.
Mixed messages
After lengthy discussions in Madrid, Spain will then allow the MV Hondius' nearly 150 remaining people on board to disembark in the Canary Islands, where the ship is expected to arrive within three or four days.
"When it arrives there, the crew and passengers will be thoroughly examined, taken care of, and taken to their respective home countries," the health ministry writes, according to El País.
The exact port the ship will head to has not been determined.
In Argentina, local health authorities in Tierra del Fuego, where the MV Hondius set sail on April 1, deny that the virus originated there. It is “highly unlikely,” says health director Juan Petrina, pointing out that the virus is found in more northern regions with more humid climates.
“Normal days”
The uproar surrounding the ship intensified when a German man died on board over the weekend. It was the third death linked to hantavirus on board. A Dutch couple in their 70s had also died: the man died on board on April 11; the woman left the ship on the island of St. Helena on April 24 and was flown to South Africa, where she died.
WHO is now looking for the 87 people who were on the same plane during the nearly two-hour flight.
On board the MV Hondius, the passengers seem to be taking it all in stride.
"Our days are almost normal. We are just waiting for the authorities to find a solution. Morale is high and we are keeping ourselves busy by reading, watching movies, drinking hot drinks and so on," passenger Qasem Elhato told the AP.
Correction: In a previous version there was incorrect information about one of the deceased.
Hantavirus infections are caused by around 35 different closely related variants of hantavirus that have been reported worldwide.
Hantavirus infection is a zoonosis, that is, a disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
In Sweden, only the Puumala virus variant, which causes the disease bat fever, is found.
Each hantavirus has a specific rodent species as its host. Hantavirus does not normally cause disease in rodents, but they can carry the virus for a long time. Viruses are excreted in the urine, feces, and saliva of infected rodents.
Depending on the type of hantavirus, people can suffer from everything from completely asymptomatic infections to very severe forms of hemorrhagic fever or acute pulmonary syndrome with high mortality.
Source: Public Health Agency of Sweden
