The MV Hondius cruise ship, affected by several hantavirus cases, remains anchored inside the Port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife, Spain, Monday. EPA-Yonhap
OMAHA, Nebraska — Passengers from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak were being flown home Monday to more than 20 countries and quarantined, including a French woman and an American who tested positive.
Passengers from the ship began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands. Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that continued Monday.
Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the World Health Organization. The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.
Health authorities say the risk to the broader public is low from the first-ever hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. While there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates.
The ship's captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their courage and perseverance, and he called for respect for their privacy.
“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said.
New cases in France, United States
The French woman who tested positive for the hantavirus is in intensive care in stable condition at a Paris hospital, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday. He said four French passengers who returned Sunday have tested negative but remain in isolation at the same hospital.
One of 18 evacuated passengers flown to the U.S. also tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing symptoms, while another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said.
Source: Korea Times News
