Canary Islands Refuse Entry to Cruise Ship Suspected of Hantavirus Outbreak
Axios (Tổng hợp từ Al Jazeera English)
Authorities in the Canary Islands have refused to let the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius dock after a hantavirus outbreak killed three people, overruling the Spanish government's permission. Around 150 people from 23 countries remain stranded as the WHO assesses the public risk as 'low.'
Authorities in the Canary Islands have refused to allow the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, which has experienced a hantavirus outbreak, to dock at any port in the archipelago, despite the Spanish government stating it would permit the vessel to enter.
Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo said the regional government could not allow the MV Hondius – currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde – into the islands. He cited a lack of information about the outbreak of this potentially dangerous disease to ensure public safety.
Around 150 people from 23 countries remain stranded on the ship. Three passengers – a Dutch couple and a German citizen – have died after contracting hantavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified eight cases linked to the vessel, including three confirmed infections and five suspected ones. According to the WHO, three individuals suspected of having the virus were recently evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment.
Spain's Foreign Ministry stated that the ship would be allowed to dock in the Canary Islands – an autonomous community of Spain – under Madrid's obligations to 'international law and humanitarian principles,' following requests from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
However, as the MV Hondius approached the islands, Mr. Clavijo declared he would not permit the cruise ship to enter any port and called for an emergency meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to discuss the situation.
Switzerland confirmed that one of its citizens on board had contracted the disease and was being treated in Zurich. Authorities said the patient poses no risk to the public. Meanwhile, in South Africa, a British citizen is being treated for the Andes strain of the virus, which is rare and can sometimes spread between people, according to the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with urine, saliva, or droppings of infected rodents.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the current risk to the community from the disease remains 'low.' WHO officials added that hantavirus only spreads between people after close and prolonged contact.
The Hondius departed from the southern tip of Argentina in late March, with the hantavirus outbreak reported while the ship was en route to Cape Verde. The first passenger to contract the disease, a Dutch citizen, died on April 11; his body remained on the ship until April 24.
