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MV Hondius to Dock at Granadilla Port in Tenerife Within Three Days
The MV Hondius will reach Granadilla on Tenerife within three days after three passenger deaths and at least five suspected cases. Spain's health minister announced the arrival on Wednesday even as the Canary Islands leader cited public safety risks. Three seriously ill people will be airlifted to the Netherlands before the vessel proceeds.
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Spain's health minister announced that the MV Hondius will dock within three days at Granadilla on the island of Tenerife. The vessel departed Cape Verde and was heading to the Canary Islands, according to the Associated Press. Preparations are underway to evacuate three people from the ship by air to the Netherlands, according to France 24 reporting.
Two of them are seriously ill. The third was in close contact with a passenger who died of hantavirus.
The total number of hantavirus cases in the suspected outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has grown, according to ABC reporting. Three people have died and officials say the virus jumped from person to person on board, CBS News reported. Only two cases have been laboratory confirmed while the total number of suspected cases stands at five.
The ship departed from Argentina on a 35-day luxury cruise several weeks ago and carried roughly 150 passengers and crew when health officials first contacted the World Health Organization over the weekend.
Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of epidemic and pandemic management at the World Health Organization, stated that the working assumption is that the hantavirus is the Andes virus. Researchers are sequencing samples to confirm the strain. Oceanwide Expeditions, the company operating the cruise, has said it is cooperating with authorities and upholding health and safety procedures.
Passengers remain in quarantine while the ship proceeds to its destination. Contact tracing has begun.
The Canary Islands regional government cited risks to public safety in opposing the docking plan. Spanish authorities have said there is no significant risk to the broader community. The vessels' operators have not been publicly identified beyond Oceanwide Expeditions in the reporting.
