WHO Confirms Hantavirus Cruise Ship Patients Evacuated to Netherlands

(MENAFN) Three individuals suspected of carrying hantavirus have been removed from the outbreak-stricken cruise ship and are en route to the Netherlands for urgent medical attention, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed Wednesday.

"In coordination with WHO, the ship's operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands, three suspected hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands," Tedros said in a post on social media platform X.

Tedros further noted that the WHO is maintaining close coordination with the cruise operator to track the health status of all remaining passengers and crew, while also facilitating medical follow-ups and additional evacuations as the situation demands.

Surveillance and follow-up protocols have been extended to cover both passengers still aboard the vessel and those who have already disembarked, the WHO chief said, with national health authorities working in tandem with the ship's operator to manage the response.

The WHO assessed that the broader public health risk remains low at this stage.

In a parallel development, Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions announced that two infectious disease specialists are currently traveling from the Netherlands to board the stricken vessel and reinforce its medical team. The company stated that the specialists will continue on board following the ship's planned departure from Cabo Verde — contingent on the successful transfer of the three suspected patients. A third medical professional is already present on the ship.

The WHO had initially flagged the crisis on May 2, when it reported that passengers aboard the Hondius had suffered severe acute respiratory illness, with some cases proving fatal.

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