Trapped on the death cruise ship: Medics in hazmat suits board stricken vessel as virus outbreak 'spreads between passengers'
Two cases of rat-borne hantavirus have been confirmed onboard a cruise ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Three people died and another was left seriously ill in a suspected outbreak of hantavirus
Medics in protective gear have boarded a cruise ship amid an outbreak of a deadly rat-borne virus.
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More than 20 Brits are trapped on the MV Hondius off the coast of Cape Verde. They have been there since Sunday, after the deaths of three passengers.
Authorities have forbidden passengers to disembark and supplies have been ferried to the isolated ship.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes there may be some human-to-human transmission among close contacts on the vessel.
On Tuesday afternoon, WHO confirmed a British crew member is to be medically evacuated.
The crew member is being prepared for medical evacuation with a Dutch colleague, and Dutch authorities are leading evacuation plans.
They are said to need “urgent medical care” after having acute respiratory symptoms, the tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. WHO said its “highest priority” is to “medically evacuate these two individuals to make sure that they have the care that they receive”.
About 150 people are stuck on the Hondius, which was carrying mostly British, American and Spanish passengers on a luxury cruise that set off from the southern tip of Argentina in late March.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, from the WHO, said: “As of today, seven individuals of the 147 passengers and crew have been reported ill, sadly, three have died.
“One patient is in intensive care in South Africa, although we understand that this patient is improving while two patients are still on board the ship and are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands for treatment.”
She added: “The plan is, and our highest priority is, to medically evacuate these two individuals to make sure that they have the care that they receive.”
Dr Van Kerkhove said another suspected case has been reported but this person was “currently doing well and is asymptomatic”.
“At this stage, there are no additional symptomatic people on board, that said, the situation is being closely monitored and, as a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out,” she added.
Two Irish passengers are also on board. The cruise visited the Antarctic peninsula and South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha – some of the remotest islands on the planet.
The WHO has said that passengers aboard the Hondius have been told to remain inside their cabins whenever possible because the incubation period can last several weeks, meaning some people may not yet be showing symptoms.
Medical workers in white hazmat suits boarded the cruise ship today. The ship’s operator, Oceanside Expeditions, confirmed a Dutch husband and wife - and a German on board the ship, had died.
Two cases of hantavirus have been confirmed, tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.
The cases include a British passenger receiving care in South Africa.
The company said in a statement on Monday that two staff members - one British and one Dutch - were continuing to show “acute respiratory symptoms”, one mild and one severe.
Ann Lane from Donnybrook, south Dublin, said: "Now the ship’s doctor and a member of the expedition staff are sick on board.
"The doctor had been treating everybody day and night, really dedicated to what he was doing – [he has been] fabulous.
"He’s a younger man, British. He has been sick quite a few days, maybe since last Thursday."
Holding back tears, US travel blogger Jake Rosmarin, a passenger on the cruise, said: "We're not just a story, we're not just headlines, we're people. People with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home."
"There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part," he said between shaky breaths.
He added that he was grateful to the crew, who had been handling the situation "to the best of their ability".
"All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home," he added.
Read More: Second hantavirus case confirmed on board after three die in cruise ship outbreak of rat-borne virus
The influencer boasts 31.1K followers on Tik Tok, where he posts travel videos.
Rosmarin has been posting about the cruise for the last two weeks.
He started with a "happy embarkation day" video detailing the 35-day cruise around the "most remote islands in the world".
The ship boasts a swanky bar, dining area, library, and lecture hall with spacious cabins carrying 170 passengers. The travel vlogger also showed shared drinking fountains and coffee stations onboard the ship.
Just two days ago Rosmarin posted smiling videos on Tristan da Cunha, a remote volcanic island in the Atlantic.
The suspected outbreak was reported on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed the British tourist remains in a “critical but stable” condition after being medically evacuated to South Africa on April 27, where they are being treated in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg.
The ship’s journey began on April 1, and a passenger died on board on April 11, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
The cause of death could not be determined on board. On April 24, this passenger was disembarked on St Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation.
The wife became unwell during the return journey and died. Authorities later confirmed she tested positive for a variant of hantavirus.
Both passengers were Dutch nationals.
On May 2, a German passenger on board died. The cause has not yet been established, the tour operator confirmed.
The company added that guests will not be disembarking in Cape Verde, except for three individuals who will be medically evacuated.
“Dutch authorities are actively preparing a medical evacuation of the two symptomatic individuals along with the individual associated with the guest that passed away,” a company statement said.
“This will involve two specialised aircraft equipped with the necessary medical equipment and staffed by trained medical crews.
“This is not confirmed and is subject to change.”
The ship may instead continue to Las Palmas or Tenerife, but no final disembarkation point has been finalised.
Hantavirus infections, which are usually spread by infected rodents’ urine or faeces, can lead to severe respiratory illness and can sometimes be fatal.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “This is a deeply worrying time for all those on board the MV Hondius and the families of those affected by the hantavirus outbreak.
“FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) Consular teams have been stood up across the UK, South Africa, Spain and Portugal to support British nationals and we are working around the clock with our international partners, including the cruise ship operator.
“FCDO teams are also in contact with the family of a British man who was a passenger on the ship and is now in hospital in South Africa.”
The risk to the wider public remains low, according to Hans Henri P Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe. He added that there is “no need for panic or travel restrictions”.
While it is rare, hantavirus infections can spread between people, according to the WHO.
There is no specific treatment or cure, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive medical attention early.