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🇮🇹 Italy /Health & Science

Hantavirus Suspected on Cruise Ship Heading to Tenerife; Strict Health Protocols Prepared

From ANSA · (13m ago) Italian Critical tone

Translated from Italian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A cruise ship, the MV Hondius, is heading to Tenerife, Spain, after a suspected hantavirus outbreak among passengers, with three individuals evacuated for treatment.
  • The outbreak is believed to have originated from a birdwatching excursion in Ushuaia, Argentina, where passengers may have encountered infected rodents.
  • Spanish authorities are implementing strict health protocols upon the ship's arrival to prevent further spread, with Spanish passengers to be quarantined.

The arrival of the MV Hondius at Tenerife's port of Granadilla de Abona is a matter of significant public health concern for Spain and the Canary Islands. As reported by ANSA, the ship carries passengers from approximately 22 nationalities, and the potential for an hantavirus outbreak onboard demands a swift and coordinated response.

We will be particularly attentive to security, we will protect the people arriving, but we will also take the necessary public health measures, so that, if there are symptomatic people, they do not transmit the virus to the population.

— Mónica GarcíaThe Spanish Minister of Health explaining the measures to be taken upon the ship's arrival.

Minister of Health Mónica García has assured the public that safety is paramount. The plan to evacuate foreign passengers to their home countries and place Spanish passengers in quarantine at the Gomez Ullà military hospital in Madrid demonstrates a commitment to containment. This measured approach, developed in conjunction with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to protect both the arriving passengers and the local population.

The evacuation of two sick crew members and a contact case from a ship suspected of being a hantavirus hotspot is underway via Cape Verde.

— Ann LindstrandAnn Lindstrand, WHO representative in Cape Verde, providing an update on the evacuation.

The suspected origin of the outbreak – a birdwatching excursion in Ushuaia, Argentina, potentially involving contact with rodents – highlights the risks associated with travel to diverse environments. The fact that the virus may have been contracted during such an activity underscores the need for vigilance, even during leisure travel.

All three are in stable condition and one of them is asymptomatic.

— Ann LindstrandWHO representative providing details on the condition of the evacuated individuals.

From our perspective in Spain, this situation is being handled with the utmost seriousness. The meticulous planning for the ship's docking and the subsequent passenger management reflects our dedication to public health security. While international media may focus on the cruise ship itself, for us, the primary concern is the health and safety of our citizens and the prevention of any potential spread within our borders. The swift evacuation of three symptomatic individuals via Cape Verde, as confirmed by the WHO, is a positive step in managing the immediate crisis.

The mv Hodiuns is at anchor near Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, where a team of epidemiologists from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has verified that there are three cases on board. Three symptomatic people who are currently being evacuated to the Netherlands.

— Mónica GarcíaThe Spanish Minister of Health updating on the situation and the evacuation of symptomatic individuals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ANSA in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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