Three people with suspected hantavirus were medically evacuated from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, the World Health Organization said, allowing the vessel to continue toward the Canary Islands after Spain granted permission to dock.
One evacuee was identified as Martin Anstee, 56, a British expedition guide. Anstee said on Sky News: “I’m doing OK. I’m not feeling too bad. There are still lots of tests to be done. I have no idea how long I’ll be in the hospital for. I’m in isolation at the moment.” The other two were reported as a 41-year-old Dutch colleague, the ship’s doctor, and a 65-year-old German passenger.
The three were removed from the ship for onward travel to the Netherlands. Oceanwide Expeditions said an aircraft carrying two evacuees landed in the Netherlands late on Wednesday; a second aircraft carrying the third person was delayed, and that person remained in a stable condition, the operator said.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted that the evacuations had been coordinated with WHO, the ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the UK, Spain and the Netherlands. He said WHO is monitoring passengers and crew, supporting medical follow-up and evacuation where needed, and that the overall public health risk remains low.
The WHO reported eight cases linked to the outbreak, five of them confirmed. A Dutch couple and a German national who had been on the ship have died. Close to 150 people remain aboard the vessel.
Spanish health authorities said the British patient had moved from a critical to a more stable condition. The ship had been anchored off Cape Verde while evacuation arrangements were made; Spanish regional leaders expressed concern about the ship docking in Tenerife.
The UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the UK had been working with other countries to facilitate evacuations and that Foreign Office staff were in direct contact with British nationals on board. The UK Health Security Agency said two people who had returned independently to the UK after being on the ship have been advised to isolate; neither was reporting symptoms. UKHSA is helping trace people who may have been on the same flight as a confirmed case and said remaining British nationals on the ship could be sent home symptom-free once the ship docks in Tenerife.
Swiss authorities said a former passenger who tested positive was being treated in Zurich; officials said there was no risk to the public. South Africa’s health ministry reported identifying 62 contacts, including flight crew and healthcare workers, who will be monitored through the incubation period; none have been diagnosed so far.
Health officials reiterated that hantavirus is usually transmitted via contact with infected rodents or their droppings, urine or saliva, and that human-to-human transmission is rare. However, limited spread among close contacts has been observed with the Andes strain, which circulates in South America. The cruise began on 1 April in South America, with stops in Antarctica and remote Atlantic islands.
Argentine investigators said a leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus while birdwatching in Ushuaia before boarding, possibly after visiting a landfill where they were exposed to rodents.
Cape Verde has not allowed passengers ashore because of the outbreak. Spain’s health ministry said it had been asked by the WHO and the EU to accept the MV Hondius and agreed to do so “in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.” Oceanwide Expeditions said the ship was expected to arrive in the Canary Islands in three days and that it was in close discussion with authorities over arrival point, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests.
