Cape Verde refuses to disembark sick people from the cruise ship investigated for a hantavirus outbreak

Nairobi.- Two of the patients from a possible hantavirus outbreak detected on a cruise ship that departed from Argentina and is off the coast of Cape Verde are being held on the ship - where three deaths have already been recorded - due to the refusal of the Cape Verdean authorities to allow them to disembark, according to the company operating the vessel. «During this trip, three passengers have died. In addition, another is admitted to intensive care in Johannesburg (northern South Africa) and two crew members require urgent medical attention», reported last night the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions.

However, at 21:00 GMT on Sunday «the Cabo Verdean authorities have not authorized the disembarkation of passengers requiring medical attention or the carrying out of diagnostic tests» and, after visiting the ship to assess its condition, «a have still not made a decision on their transfer to a medical center», the company lamented.

Only one confirmed case

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed this Sunday in a statement that at least six people were affected by the possible hantavirus outbreak - three dead and three sick - although only in one of the cases - the patient hospitalized in Johannesburg - has the presence of the virus been confirmed by laboratory. The South African Department of Health and sources close to the case have confirmed to various media outlets that the first death, of a man, occurred on the island of Saint Helena (British territory in the South Atlantic), where the body remained. The second fatality, his wife, occurred in Johannesburg, where she was from, and where she was trying to catch a flight back to the Netherlands.

Finally, the third death took place on the ship itself, where the body of the deceased remains. 

Repatriation of Two Sick People and a Dead Person

According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch authorities "have agreed to lead the joint organization of the repatriation of the two individuals with symptoms". The body of the deceased "will also be included in the repatriation, along with a close companion", who shows no symptoms. The repatriation, however, depends on the authorization of the authorities of the African country. "Oceanwide Expeditions' priority is to ensure that the two individuals with symptoms on board receive adequate and urgent medical attention," as well as to protect "the health and safety of all passengers and crew" of the ship, the company stated.

For its part, WHO noted that epidemiological investigations, new laboratory analyses and virus sequencing are being carried out to determine the scope of the outbreak, while passengers and crew receive medical attention and follow-up.

The director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Henri Kluge, has assured that "the risk to the general population remains low. There is no cause for alarm nor need to impose travel restrictions."

A Rodent-Borne Disease

The ship is called MV Hondius, it is the world's first vessel registered with Polar Class 6 and can carry 170 passengers, as well as 57 crew members, thirteen guides and a doctor, according to Oceanwides. The tourist vessel, used for exploration trips in the Arctic and Antarctic, departed on March 20th from the port terminal of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina. Hantavirus is a disease usually transmitted by contact with urine or droppings from infected rodents, although in rare cases it can spread between people and lead to serious respiratory illnesses.