Evacuated Hantavirus Patients Reach Netherlands as Ship Sails On
A convoy of ambulances allegedly carrying at least one of the passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius believed to be infected with hantavirus in Leiden on May 6.
Photographer: Josh Walet/AFP/Getty Images
A cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak has begun sailing toward Spain’s Canary Islands after evacuating three people, with two already arriving in the Netherlands for treatment, its operator said.
The vessel, the Dutch-flagged Hondius, left Cape Verde on Wednesday evening and is expected to reach the Canary Islands in about three to four days, its operator, Oceanwide Expeditions BV, said. An aircraft carrying a third evacuee has been delayed, the company said, while three additional medical professionals have boarded the ship to support care during the crossing.