Tenerife (Spain), May 10: A plane carrying the first passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius departed Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday for Madrid, where the evacuees will undergo quarantine and medical monitoring.
Spanish nationals were prioritized in the first evacuation phase after the vessel arrived off Tenerife following a voyage from Cape Verde.
Spanish health authorities said the evacuated passengers would be taken to a military hospital in Madrid for observation.
According to cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions
, the ship carried 13 Spanish passengers and one Spanish crew member.
Officials from Spain’s health ministry, the World Health Organization, and the cruise company said none of the more than 140 people still onboard were showing symptoms of the virus at the time of evacuation.
The outbreak has already claimed three lives, while five former passengers have tested positive for hantavirus infection.
The strain involved is believed to be the Andes virus, a rare subtype that, unlike most hantaviruses, may occasionally spread from person to person.
Hantavirus is usually contracted through inhalation of particles contaminated by rodent urine or droppings and can lead to severe respiratory illness. Symptoms may appear anywhere between one and eight weeks after exposure.
Strict biosecurity protocols were implemented during the evacuation process. Passengers and workers at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife wore hazmat suits, respirators, gloves, and face masks.
Authorities said evacuees would not interact with the local population, and passengers were only allowed to leave the ship once flights were ready for immediate departure.
They were instructed to leave behind most luggage and carry only essential items such as documents, phones, chargers, and small personal bags.
International evacuation operations are continuing through Sunday and Monday. The United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Australia, and Norway have all organized special flights or medical transport for their citizens.
Americans will be quarantined at a medical facility in Nebraska. France said its citizens would spend 72 hours under hospital observation before completing a 45-day home quarantine period. British passengers and crew will also be monitored in hospitals after returning home.
Australia is expected to send the final evacuation flight on Monday to transport Australians and citizens of nearby countries, including New Zealand. Norway dispatched a European Union-owned ambulance aircraft staffed with specialists trained to handle high-risk infections.
After all passengers are evacuated, the ship will continue to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for full disinfection. Some crew members and the body of a passenger who died onboard will remain aboard during the voyage.
Authorities worldwide are also monitoring possible secondary infections. British Army medics were parachuted into the remote British territory of Tristan da Cunha after a former passenger developed suspected symptoms there.
In Spain, however, a woman believed to have been exposed later tested negative for hantavirus. (AP)
