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The Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius will head to Spain's Canary Islands after three people are medically evacuated from Cape Verde, its operator said, according to The Japan Times. The World Health Organization has identified seven confirmed or suspected hantavirus cases linked to the voyage, including three deaths, while Nippon.com reports that one Japanese traveler is among those aboard.
Key developments
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Route and evacuations: Oceanwide Expeditions said two crew members needing urgent care and one individual associated with a passenger who died earlier in the trip would be flown to the Netherlands on specialized aircraft before the ship continues to the Canary Islands, according to The Japan Times. The vessel had been off Cape Verde as authorities coordinated the response.
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Case count: WHO's May 4 update says the ship carried 147 passengers and crew, with two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases. The seven cases included three deaths, one critically ill patient already evacuated to intensive care in Johannesburg, and three people with mild symptoms.
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Timeline: WHO says the vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and made stops across the South Atlantic, including Antarctica-region destinations, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. Reported illness onset ranged from April 6 to April 28. Investigators have not determined whether exposure happened before boarding, during the voyage, or through close contact.
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On board: The Japan Today report described passengers largely confined to cabins while medical teams worked around the ship. Nippon.com said passengers had been told to remain in cabins and keep distance from others. Hantavirus is usually associated with exposure to infected rodents, including their urine, feces, or saliva; WHO says limited human-to-human transmission has previously been reported for Andes virus, a specific hantavirus.
What to watch
The next confirmed update should be whether the planned evacuations from Cape Verde are completed and when Spanish authorities receive the Hondius in the Canary Islands. Officials have not yet fully resolved how long passengers and crew may need to remain under health controls before onward travel.
The unresolved question is the source of infection. WHO is still investigating travel history, possible wildlife or environmental exposure, laboratory results, and whether any close-contact transmission occurred aboard the ship. Until that is clearer, health authorities are treating the outbreak as a rare but serious event while maintaining that the broader global risk is low.
Sources
Photo by Yusheng Deng on Unsplash
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