The outbreak on the cruise ship

Unique special operation on remote island to help suspected virus infected

A British citizen living on Tristan da Cunha, one of the world's most isolated islands, is suspected of having been infected with hantavirus after being on board the cruise ship MV Hondius. Now a special team from the British Army with paratroopers and medical personnel has been sent to the island, according to a press release from British authorities.

The operation involved eight people who parachuted along with medical equipment and supplies. Tristan da Cunha, which is a British territory in the middle of the South Atlantic, has about 220 inhabitants and no runway. The only way to get there is by boat from Cape Town, which only departs about ten times a year.

The British Ministry of Defense states that this is the first time that medical personnel have been parachuted ashore in a humanitarian mission.

“This was an extraordinary effort in very difficult circumstances to deliver vital aid to our citizens on Tristan da Cunha,” said Al Carns, Minister for the British Armed Forces.

French passenger shows symptoms of hantavirus

One of the five people who were flown to France after the MV Hondius cruise ship was evacuated is showing symptoms of hantavirus, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a post on X.

“The five passengers have been immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice,” he wrote.

The cruise ship arrived in the Canary Island of Tenerife early this morning. From there, passengers and crew were evacuated, and the process of flying them back to their respective countries began.

First passengers have been allowed to leave the virus ship

The first passengers have been allowed to leave the virus ship MV Hondius, Sky News reports. Pictures from the evacuation show how the passengers go ashore wearing masks and protective clothing.

The 149 people who were on board when the ship docked in Tenerife on Sunday are not suspected of being infected with the hantavirus.

The majority on board will be evacuated to their home countries by plane in the next 24 hours. Once home, they will be isolated and monitored by infection control authorities. The British citizens will be in quarantine for at least six weeks.

30 people from the crew will remain on the Hondius, to sail on to the Netherlands where the ship will be disinfected.

The virus ship— the point

• An outbreak of hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius led to three deaths and several illnesses during a voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde.
• The ship was quarantined off Cape Verde and later Tenerife, where passengers were evacuated under the supervision of WHO and national authorities.
• A total of six cases of hantavirus were confirmed, all of the Andean virus variant, and eight people were suspected of being infected.
• Authorities in several countries traced passengers who had left the ship before the outbreak became known, but WHO assessed the risk of community spread to be low.
• The evacuation of passengers took place by ambulance flights from several countries, and no new symptoms were reported among those remaining on board.