Three evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship as Spain says vessel can dock

British guide Martin Anstee among those evacuated from MV Hondius, which is now heading for Canary Islands Explainer: What is hantavirus? Three people with suspected hantavirus have been medically evacuated from a cruise ship. They include a British man who was an expedition guide onboard the ship, the MV Hondius. He was named on Wednesday evening as Martin Anstee, 56. Continue reading...

British guide Martin Anstee among those evacuated from MV Hondius, which is now heading for Canary Islands Three people with suspected hantavirus have been medically evacuated from a cruise ship. They include a British man who was an expedition guide onboard the ship, the MV Hondius. He was named on Wednesday evening as Martin Anstee, 56. The three were taken from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship for onward travel to the Netherlands, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The evacuation means the ship, with close to 150 people onboard, can continue on its three-day journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for the vessel to dock.

The ship was anchored off Cape Verde while arrangements were put in place to evacuate the crew members but on Wednesday evening the ship was on its way to the Canaries. An aircraft carrying two of the three individuals taken from the ship landed in the Netherlands late on Wednesday, the tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, posted on X: “Three suspected hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands in coordination with WHO, the ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde [Cape Verde], the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.” A Dutch couple and a German national who were on the ship have died. Two people who returned to the UK independently having been onboard the ship had been advised to isolate, the UKHSA said.

Health officials in Europe and Africa are trying to identify people who may have had contact with people who earlier left the ship, which departed on 1 April from South America for stops in Antarctica and several remote Atlantic islands. South Africa’s health ministry said 62 contacts had been identified, including flight crew and healthcare workers. Oceanwide Expeditions said the ship was expected to arrive in the Canary Islands in three days. This is dependent on medical advice and the outcome of stringent screening procedures.” The UK Foreign Office said it had been in touch directly with all British passengers onboard the ship. Explore more on these topics Share Reuse this content British guide Martin Anstee among those evacuated from MV Hondius, which is now heading for Canary Islands Explainer: What is hantavirus?

Three people with suspected hantavirus have been medically evacuated from a cruise ship. They include a British man who was an expedition guide onboard the ship, the MV Hondius. He was named on Wednesday evening as Martin Anstee, 56. Continue reading... Three evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship as Spain says vessel can dock