Medical evacuations arranged after illnesses aboard MV Hondius
Seven cases and three deaths had been reported as health authorities investigated suspected hantavirus infections.
As of Monday, seven cases had been reported aboard MV Hondius, comprising two laboratory-confirmed cases and five suspected cases. Three patients had died, including a married couple from the Netherlands. One spouse was confirmed to have had hantavirus.
The vessel was off Cape Verde while medical teams assessed two crew members and a close contact of one of the deceased patients. World Health Organization representative Dr. Ann Lindstrand said two aircraft had been arranged to medically evacuate sick passengers.
Cape Verde officials said the ship was expected to continue to Tenerife, where Spanish health authorities would take over the investigation, laboratory testing and clinical assessments, particularly for older passengers.
WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said officials believed limited person-to-person transmission may have occurred among close contacts, including spouses and people sharing cabins. She said the WHO was working on the assumption that the strain was Andes virus, which has previously shown potential for transmission between people, although sequencing was continuing.
According to the WHO, the illnesses began between April 6 and April 28. Reported symptoms included fever, gastrointestinal illness, rapidly progressing pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock.