Spain’s Canary Islands brace for incoming hantavirus-stricken cruise ship
Summary
A cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak is arriving in Spain’s Canary Islands to evacuate 140 passengers and crew after weeks at sea. The authorities will isolate the passengers on the island of Tenerife to prevent the virus from spreading.Key Facts
- The MV Hondius cruise ship, flying the Dutch flag, has had at least eight people fall ill with hantavirus.
- The ship aims to reach Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, early Sunday morning.
- Passengers will be taken to a fully isolated and secured area on the island.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) is helping to coordinate the evacuation and says the risk to the public is low.
- Hantavirus mainly spreads through rodent droppings and rarely spreads from person to person, but the Andes virus variant found here can spread between people in rare cases.
- Three people have died, and five people who left the ship are known to be infected.
- More than two dozen passengers who left the ship before May 2 are being traced and monitored worldwide.
- Some Canary Islands residents and groups are concerned about health risks and want strict safety measures.
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