Health
Person from hantavirus-hit ship heading to German hospital
The World Health Organization said earlier that three people -- two crew members and one other person thought to be infected -- were being evacuated from the ship and would be flown to the Netherlands.
A plane carrying some of the people believed infected with hantavirus passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, takes off from the Nelson Mandela International airport of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (AFP)
By: AFP ., Journalist @New Vision
BERLIN - German emergency services will on Wednesday transfer a person evacuated from a cruise ship stricken with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus from the Netherlands to a hospital in Germany, officials said.
The individual came into contact with an infected person on board the MV Hondius, anchored off Cape Verde, but is asymptomatic, the fire service in the western German city of Duesseldorf told AFP.
They did not provide any further details about the person, such as nationality or gender.
The World Health Organization said earlier that three people -- two crew members and one other person thought to be infected -- were being evacuated from the ship and would be flown to the Netherlands.
A team from the fire service are on their way to pick up the individual, who will then be taken to the university hospital in Duesseldorf, the spokesman told AFP.
"The earliest we expect the transport to be back is in the evening," he said, adding that the hospital had "various options" for dealing with such a case.
The vessel has been at the centre of an international health scare since Saturday, when the UN's health agency was informed that three passengers had died and the suspected cause was hantavirus.
The rare disease is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva.
"The earliest we expect the transport to be back is in the evening," he said, adding that the hospital had "various options" for dealing with such a case.
The vessel has been at the centre of an international health scare since Saturday, when the UN's health agency was informed that three passengers had died and the suspected cause was hantavirus.
The rare disease is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva.