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The MV Hondius left waters off Cape Verde for Spain on Wednesday, May 6, after three people were medically evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, according to The Japan Times. Nippon.com reported earlier that a Japanese traveler was among the roughly 150 passengers and crew aboard the vessel.
Key developments
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The ship is expected to dock in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands within about three days of departure, Spain's health minister Monica Garcia said. Officials said people still aboard were not showing symptoms at the time of that update.
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Three people have died in the outbreak: a Dutch couple and a German national, according to Reuters reporting carried by The Japan Times. Three others were evacuated after the ship had been held off Cape Verde, including two people described as seriously ill.
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Spain's plan is to repatriate non-Spanish citizens if they remain healthy after arrival. The 14 Spanish passengers are set to quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid, with the quarantine period tied to possible exposure timing and the virus's reported incubation window.
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Health authorities are treating the outbreak as serious but not as a broad public-risk event. Hantavirus is usually linked to rodents, and human-to-human spread is uncommon. Reuters reported that South Africa identified the Andes strain, which can spread between people in rare circumstances involving very close contact.
What to watch
The next major update is the ship's arrival in Tenerife and the medical screening of passengers and crew. Authorities are expected to decide who can be repatriated, who must remain under observation, and how quarantine will be managed for Spanish nationals.
Health agencies are also tracking people who left the voyage earlier, including passengers who disembarked before the ship reached Cape Verde. The confirmed source of the outbreak, the full number of infections, and whether any additional cases emerge after repatriation remain unresolved.
Sources
Photo by Andre Sayson on Unsplash
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