A fisherman sails past the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, Tuesday. The WHO said that Spain would "welcome" a cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde with suspected hantavirus cases onboard, enabling a probe and assessment of the risk to the remaining passengers. WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters the ship would head for the Canary islands. AFP-Yonhap
GENEVA — Three passengers who were cruising the Atlantic Ocean have died and others have fallen sick amid a rare hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius, currently anchored off Cape Verde.
Here is a look at what we know so far about those on board, the fatalities, the other symptomatic cases, the ship, its journey and the likely next steps:
There are 147 people on board, among them 23 different nationalities, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
A day earlier, the ship's Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions said there were 149 people on board, including a deceased German passenger.
It said there were 88 passengers from 15 countries, including 19 from Britain, 17 from the United States 13 from Spain and eight from the Netherlands.
There are 61 crew members, from 12 countries, including 38 from the Philippines, five from Ukraine, five from the Netherlands and four from Britain, it said.
The fatalities include a Dutch couple who had travelled in South America before boarding the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1.
The husband fell ill on April 6 and died on April 11. His body was taken off the ship on April 24 on the British island Saint Helena.
His wife, feeling unwell, went ashore, deteriorated during an April 25 flight to Johannesburg — which has a weekly airlink with Saint Helena — and died in hospital on April 26, with hantavirus confirmed on May 4.
Source: Korea Times News
