The cruise ship “Hondius” which was affected by a Hantavirus outbreak, has arrived in Tenerife. Extensive preparations were made for the vessel’s arrival in the port of Granadilla on Sunday, with plans to land over 100 people to fly them back to their home countries. As the ship approached the island, a security perimeter of one nautical mile was enforced. To maintain isolation, the ship will anchor offshore in the port.
Security measures within the port, located in the southern industrial area of Tenerife, have been significantly ramped up. Spanish military police and disaster relief teams erected large reception tents, and access to the coast has been restricted. Initially, medical teams are scheduled to board the ship to examine all individuals for any signs of the virus. Reports indicate that no one has shown any further symptoms recently. Following medical checks, the passengers will be separated into groups based on their nationality and transferred ashore via small boats. Charter airplanes are being prepared to transport them for departure.
Among the passengers are six German nationals. Arrangements for their repatriation, which were initially unclear, will ultimately be taken over by the local health authorities in Germany. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recommends a quarantine period of six weeks for all passengers.
The outbreak began on April 1st when the MV “Hondius” left Argentina bound for the Cape Verde Islands. Out of 147 passengers and crew, seven individuals contracted Hantavirus; three of these people have died, including a German national. Hantavirus is typically transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated urine, feces, or saliva from infected rodents, or through rodent bites.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), human-to-human transmission has only been documented in the case of the “Andes Virus” a related group of Hantaviruses, and is described as “rare”. While the WHO suggests that human-to-human transmission occurred in this specific instance, WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently emphasized that the outbreak does not constitute a “new Covid”.
