WHO and Spain Probe Hantavirus Outbreak on Quarantined Ship
MADRID — Spanish health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched an emergency evaluation of a cruise ship currently quarantined in Cape Verde following a deadly hantavirus outbreak. The assessment will determine whether the vessel, which is carrying nearly 150 people, will be permitted to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands.
A team of epidemiologists conducted an onboard inspection late Tuesday to identify symptomatic passengers and categorize “high-risk” contacts. The results of this investigation are critical to deciding the ship’s next move and the potential repatriation of those on board.
Spain Proposes Cape Verde Evacuations
In a strategy move aimed at protecting the Canary Islands, the Spanish Ministry of Health proposed that all symptomatic individuals and high-risk contacts be evacuated and treated in Cape Verde. Under this plan, the cruise ship would then transit directly to the Netherlands—the country of the vessel’s owner—bypassing Spanish ports entirely.
“There will be no clinical reason for a stopover in the Canary Islands if the affected individuals are evacuated in Cape Verde,” the Ministry said in a statement. However, officials noted that they remain prepared to provide medical aid under humanitarian principles should new cases emerge during the voyage toward Europe.
Political Tension Over Port Access
The situation has created visible friction between international health bodies and local Spanish leaders. Earlier on Tuesday, WHO Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention Maria Van Kerkhove stated that Spain had agreed to host the ship for a “full epidemiological investigation” and total disinfection.
However, the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, pushed back against that narrative, insisting that the crisis should be managed where the ship is currently anchored. “It is reasonable that the ship makes no further stops between Cape Verde and [Northern Europe],” Clavijo said, cited concerns regarding the lack of information on how the virus is spreading. “Any intervention must be done with guarantees for those on the ship, but obviously also for the inhabitants of the Canaries.”
The Outbreak: Deaths and Serious Illness
The ship, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on March 20 for a wildlife observation cruise, is carrying 149 people from 23 different countries. The WHO has confirmed two cases of hantavirus so far, with five other suspected cases linked to the vessel:
- Fatalities: A male passenger died on April 11, and a female passenger died on May 2.
- Critical Care: One passenger is currently in intensive care in Johannesburg after being medical evacuated.
- Active Symptoms: Three others on board, including two crew members, are suffering from high fevers and gastrointestinal distress.
Hantaviruses are typically transmitted to humans through contact with the waste or saliva of infected rodents. While most strains do not spread between humans, the “Andes virus” strain—found in parts of South America—has shown the potential for person-to-person transmission. The specific strain involved in this outbreak has not yet been identified.
While the WHO currently assesses the global risk as low, Spanish authorities remain on high alert as they wait for the epidemiologists’ report to finalize the ship’s itinerary.
Image: Pexels – Jan van der Wolf
