The hantavirus outbreak declared on board the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondiusdays after it left the port of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina, bound for Cape Verde, affecting eight people for now; three of them have died, according to data released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Of the 146 people on board the luxury ship, 19 are British passengers, as are four other crew members. A Guatemalan crew member was also reported.
One of the occupants, who worked as a doctor on the cruise ship, was evacuated by ambulance plane to the Netherlands this Wednesday, May 6, along with two other people suspected of having contracted the virus.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex) of Guatemala reported this Wednesday, May 6, that, through the Guatemalan Embassy in the Netherlands, it managed to establish contact with the authorities, who indicated that the Guatemalan is in good health and has not been infected.
The Minex added that, through its diplomatic mission, it will continue monitoring the case with the corresponding health authorities and is awaiting disembarkation, as established by the receiving country.
The number of cases due to the hantavirus outbreak increased this Wednesday to eight – three of them confirmed in the laboratory – after Swiss authorities reported the hospitalization of a man who traveled as a passenger on the ship.
To read more: Hantavirus: What it is, what its symptoms are and how it is spread
The MV Cruise Hondiusaffected by a hantavirus outbreak, will dock on Saturday, May 9, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, on the Spanish Atlantic island of Tenerife, from where passengers will be evacuated to their respective countries of origin, the Spanish Government reported this Wednesday.
Hantavirus is a disease that is usually transmitted through contact with the urine or droppings of infected rodents, although in rare cases it can spread between people and lead to serious respiratory illnesses.
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