Three people were medically evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak Wednesday as a passenger revealed everyone aboard is doing their best to limit contact with one another and follow proper safety protocols.
The World Health Organization said three passengers have died after they contracted the Andes strain of the virus, which is known to be transmissible between people. The strain is found in parts of Argentina, where the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius set sail.
The WHO said in an update Wednesday that there were eight cases. Three of the cases were confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing, and five were suspected. No one else on the vessel was showing symptoms, the WHO said.
Despite the perilous situation on the ship, passenger and travel blogger Kasem Hato said things have "been very calm."
"People are taking the situation seriously but without any panic, trying to keep social distancing and wearing masks to be safe," he said in a statement.
He said the ship’s captain and other leaders have been keeping passengers informed.
"We are not obliged to do anything, but we’re trying to follow the recommendations we received of limiting close contact with other passengers and sanitizing our hands as much as possible," Hato said.
He also noted that people have been keeping busy by reading, watching movies and "having hot drinks."
CDC weighs in
In a statement Wednesday evening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was monitoring the situation and was focused on the health and safety of U.S. passengers and urged them to follow the guidance of health officials.
“The Department of State is leading a coordinated, whole-of-government response including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic coordination, and engagement with domestic and international health authorities,” the CDC said in a statement.
The U.S. agency said it is working with international partners to provide technical assistance and guidance to mitigate risk, which it said was “extremely low” for the American public.
Headed to Canary Islands
The Hondius has almost 150 people on board. On Wednesday, it departed Cape Verde in West Africa, where it had been since at least Monday, after authorities refused it permission to dock.
Spain’s national government in Madrid had said that the Canary Islands would accept the ship and that it would begin a three-to-four-day journey. Once it is there, a full epidemiological investigation and disinfection will happen, the WHO said.
"The details of the disembarkation, including the public health measures, are being actively discussed," the agency said.
The archipelago’s regional government opposed the decision to accept the ship.
"This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety," regional leader Fernando Clavijo told radio station COPE.
Clavijo said he had requested an urgent meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, though the decision ultimately rests with the country’s national government, which can overrule regional authorities.
Evacuated passengers
While the ship awaits clarity about its destination, three passengers suspected of having hantavirus were evacuated Wednesday morning.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement that two of them had "acute symptoms." The Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry said that "two sick passengers and a possibly infected passenger" were evacuated and transferred to specialized hospitals in Europe.
A British passenger who was evacuated Wednesday and hospitalized in the Netherlands told NBC’s U.K. broadcast partner, Sky News, that he was in isolation and undergoing tests but is doing OK.
“I have no idea how long I’ll be in the hospital for,” said Martin Anstee, an expedition guide.
Jake Rosmarin, another passenger on the ship, said in a statement Wednesday on Instagram that the ship has “stricter precautions” in place but that passengers can access the outside decks and have meals delivered to their rooms.
"Oceanwide Expeditions and the entire crew have been doing everything they can to keep everyone safe, informed, and comfortable," he wrote.
One medic is on the Hondius, and two more infectious disease specialists from the Netherlands were due to board it and remain on board.
A British man is still being treated in intensive care in South Africa.
The three passengers who died were a Dutch couple and a German national; none has been identified.
A new case
A new case was identified in Switzerland. A man who had traveled on the Hondius was being treated for hantavirus in Zurich, the Swiss government said in a statement early Wednesday. There was no threat to the wider population, it added.
The World Health Organization said the patient responded to an email from the cruise operator and went to the hospital.
The virus, which is typically contracted through contact with organic matter from infected rodents, is potentially fatal. There are no treatments. But the WHO has repeatedly stressed there is a low threat to the public from this outbreak.
WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said at a news conference Tuesday that hantavirus, unlike influenza or Covid-19, is transmissible from person to person only through close contact, such as sharing a bed or food.
The ship set off from Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on April 1 and stopped at multiple remote locations, including mainland Antarctica and the Atlantic islands of Tristan da Cunha and St. Helena, before the outbreak.
