Three on cruise ship infected with hantavirus evacuated urgently

Three people suspected of being infected with hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius were urgently medically evacuated, clearing the way for the ship to continue its journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities allowed it to dock.

Among those taken off the ship was Martin Anstee, 56, a British expedition guide on board. Anstee said his health condition was stable, not too bad, but he is still undergoing tests and quarantined in hospital. The other two include a 41-year-old Dutch doctor and a 65-year-old German passenger.

All three were flown to the Netherlands for further treatment, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Spanish health officials said the Briton's condition had stabilized after previously being critical.

The WHO confirmed eight hantavirus cases linked to the ship, of which five have been confirmed positive. Earlier, a Dutch couple and a German citizen who had been on the ship died.

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is now heading to the Canary Islands with nearly 150 people on board. However, a dispute erupted as the regional president expressed concerns about the ship docking at Tenerife. Previously, the ship had anchored off Cape Verde while awaiting evacuation.

Tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said a plane carrying two of the three evacuees landed in the Netherlands that evening, but the plane carrying the third faced a delay and that person remained in stable condition.

WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the suspected cases had been evacuated in coordination with the WHO, the ship operator, and authorities in Cape Verde, the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. He stressed that the overall public health risk remained low.

The UK Foreign Office said it had worked with countries to facilitate the evacuation and was in direct contact with British nationals on the ship. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Foreign Office was urgently supporting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and ensuring British citizens could return home safely.

Two people who had been on the ship returned to the UK on their own and were advised to self-isolate. The UKHSA said both were currently asymptomatic and being monitored. The agency is also tracing people who may have traveled on the same flight as confirmed cases.

Swiss authorities said a former passenger who tested positive for hantavirus was being treated at a hospital in Zurich. The passenger left the ship at St. Helena, and their travel route to Switzerland remains unclear.

Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, or saliva. Human-to-human transmission is rare but has occurred with the Andes strain in South America, where the trip began in March in Argentina.

European and African health authorities are trying to identify people who may have come into contact with passengers who left the ship earlier, as the ship departed on April 1 from South America via Antarctica and Atlantic islands. South Africa's health ministry said it had identified 62 contacts, including crew and medical staff, all of whom have tested negative so far.

Two Argentine officials investigating the source of the outbreak believe the leading theory is that the Dutch couple contracted the virus while birdwatching in the city of Ushuaia before boarding, possibly through contact with rodents at a landfill during a tour.

Cape Verde, the ship's intended final destination, did not allow passengers ashore due to the outbreak. The ship is expected to reach the Canary Islands within three days, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.