Ruptly
"Cape Verde’s National Director of Health, Angela Gomes, said on Wednesday that three people would be medically evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius after an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus. Drone footage shows the MV Hondius anchored in open waters off Cape Verde. “The medical evacuation of the three patients is expected to take place in the next few hours using two air ambulances in coordination with the competent national and international authorities,” Gomes said at a press briefing in Praia. “One of the air ambulances is already in Cape Verde, with the arrival of a second aircraft expected shortly," she added. Gomes said a medical specialist would also be deployed to assist those remaining onboard, allowing the vessel to continue its journey once the evacuations were completed. "The operation is being prepared with maximum safety and institutional coordination, involving all relevant entities, in order to ensure its execution as soon as the necessary conditions are met," she stressed. The three patients were expected to be flown from Nelson Mandela International Airport to the Netherlands for specialised treatment. The move follows three deaths linked to the outbreak and brings the total number of confirmed or suspected cases connected to the ship to eight. The MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 people, has been at the centre of an international health alert since the outbreak was reported. The dead include a Dutch couple and a German national. The vessel had been held off Cape Verde after authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark in Praia over public health concerns. Spain has since granted permission for the ship to dock in the Canary Islands for further checks and quarantine measures. Hantavirus is usually linked to contact with infected rodent droppings. The Andes strain is one of the few forms of hantavirus known to be capable of rare human-to-human transmission, though health officials say the wider public risk remains low. Severe cases can lead to respiratory failure or haemorrhagic fever."
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