Hondius

The "Hondius" has been granted permission to dock in a port in the Canary Islands. The Ministry of Health in Madrid announced that this decision was made in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the EU, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles. The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, intended to deny the cruise ship permission to dock. Clavijo justified this decision by citing a lack of guarantees for public safety given the threat posed by the virus. Clavijo, who belongs to the conservative opposition party Partido Popular, says he has requested an urgent meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The ship remained anchored off Cape Verde as of May 6. The current count of infections stood at seven sick people, two of whom were officially infected with the so-called Andean variant. That specific variant can be transmitted from person to person through close contact. There were still two people on board who were showing symptoms and were so ill that they must be removed from the ship. The World Health Organization (WHO) also suspects an infection in a third person, but that person only had a mild fever. The evacuation of the three sick passengers was expected to take place on May 6. One man diagnosed with Hantavirus is being treated in Zurich. It was not reported how the patient was doing, nor was it clear when he left the ship and traveled to Switzerland. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was conducting a thorough examination of the ship to determine which individuals urgently needed to be evacuated from Cape Verde. The exact port of call has not yet been determined. Upon arrival, the crew and passengers will be examined, given medical treatment if necessary, and repatriated to their home countries. Cape Verde cannot carry out this operation itself. The Canary Islands were therefore the nearest location with the necessary capacity. So far, three passengers from the Dutch-flagged "Hondius" have died: a Dutch couple and a woman from Passau. The WHO currently reported a total of seven cases. It suspected that these originated with the deceased Dutch couple, who may have contracted the virus while still ashore in Argentina. Reports with photos and video: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/hantavirus-kreuzfahrtschiff-spanien-100.html https://www.standaard.be/buitenland/canarische-eilanden-verzetten-zich-tegen-komst-van-cruiseschip-waarop-hantavirus-is-vastgesteld/151130151.html https://www.demorgen.be/snelnieuws/met-hantavirus-besmette-opvarende-cruiseschip-opgenomen-in-zwitsers-ziekenhuis-regeringsleider-canarische-eilanden-wil-schip-niet-laten-aanmeren~bdde2d61/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Three people, among them an 78 year old woman from Passau, have died after a suspected Hantavirus outbreak on the 'Hondius', en route from Ushuaia to the Cape Verdes. According to the WHO, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory-confirmed so far, while the other five were considered suspected cases. There were approximately 150 passengers from various countries on board. The first fatality was a 70-year-old Dutch passenger who fell ill with fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea and died upon arrival in St. Helena on April 11, 2026. His 69-year-old wife also fell ill on board and collapsed at the O.R. Tambo Airport in Johannesburg on the return journey to the Netherlands. She died in a Johannesburg hospital on April 27. The third fatality, a German passenger, occurred while still on board the ship on May 3. Another patient being treated in intensive care in Johannesburg was a 69-year-old British citizen. He fell ill between St. Helena and Ascension and was transferred to South Africa via a hospital on Ascension. His laboratory test for the Hantavirus came back positive. To date, this case of Hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there were five additional suspected cases. Two crew members were receiving medical treatment on board the ship. The WHO was supporting the medical evacuation of two symptomatic crew members who were still on board the 'Hondius' on the evening of May 3. Detailed investigations were ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support were being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus was also ongoing. The WHO was facilitating coordination between Member States and the ship’s operators for medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, as well as full public health risk assessment and support to the remaining passengers on board. They have informed their National Focal Points according to the International Health Regulations and a Disease Outbreak News for the public were to be issued.

The WHO suspected that another five people on board the 'Hondius' have been infected with the hantavirus. This brought the total number of infections to seven. Spanish health authorities were maintaining an active monitoring system in anticipation of the possible arrival of the 'Hondius' in the Canary Islands. The ship was considering docking in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife, after Cape Verde denied it entry for reasons of "national public security." Nearly 150 people of 23 nationalities were on board, including 14 Spaniards—13 passengers and one crew member—according to the Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions, which owns the vessel. The company has also confirmed that, following the deaths and the transfer of one passenger to South Africa for treatment in an intensive care unit, there were currently two crew members with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe, who required urgent medical attention. The cruise ship departed on March 20 from Ushuaia and has sailed through continental Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island, before reaching Cape Verdean waters on May 3. In anticipation of the ship affected by the hantavirus outbreak potentially stopping in the Canary Islands, the Spanish Foreign Health Service was already coordinating the response with various national and international organizations. These contacts are part of the mechanism activated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Meetings are being held with the Sub-Directorate of Foreign Health of the Ministry of Health and with the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies to define the course of action, should a stopover in the Canary Islands be necessary. Regarding the possible origin of the outbreak, sources from the Ministry of Health emphasize that current evidence suggested that they were infected on board the vessel itself. Hantavirus is primarily transmitted through rat droppings in areas where the virus is circulating. An adventure area where the deceased were located is an area with rats carrying hantavirus. However, it could not be ruled out that some may have been infected on board the ship by rats or that the doctor was infected through close contact with one of the deceased. Although the transmission is primarily zoonotic—spread from animals to humans—the Americas region has a history suggesting person-to-person transmission, mainly associated with the Andes virus, with documented outbreaks in Argentina and Chile in contexts of close and prolonged contact. In this case, it was most likely that an infected person boarded the ship and transmitted the virus to the rest of the crew. There are some variants of the virus that can be transmitted from person to person, and they do so through respiratory droplets, so an enclosed space, like this ship, becomes a high-risk environment. It was considered plausible that there was a case of an infected person, a passenger or crew member, and that was the initial source. It was recommended not to let passengers go out, but to keep them quarantined on the ship, and to remove those who develop symptoms consistent with the disease and take them to a hospital, where they would be in an isolation ward. They not only need isolation, but above all, ICU beds. The fatal form involves severe lung damage, and if assisted ventilation isn't provided, the patient dies. There is no specific treatment and ino vaccine available at the moment, although some are under investigation. The virus has two forms of presentation: an American one, which is more severe, and a European one, which is less severe. In this case, everything pointed to it being the American one. Passengers and crew meanwhile had to remain in their cabins and avoid contact. The Dutch authorities were preparing a medical evacuation. The plan involved the deployment of specialised aircraft to transport sick passengers to medical facilities. The implementation of this was not yet final. The ship remained at its anchorage as of May 5.