ARGENTINE RAT SUSPECTED OF SPREADING VIRUS AS CASES RISE TO FIVE
An Argentine rat is suspected of spreading hantavirus to passengers trapped on a cruise ship, as the WHO said cases of the disease had risen to five.
More than 20 British passengers remain stuck on board the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, which left Cape Verde on Wednesday night after being grounded for three days.
A Dutch couple and a German woman have died from the illness so far and two others, who were evacuated, have also tested positive.
Three more cases, including one of those evacuated, are suspected of carrying the virus, as passengers aboard the vessel remain locked in their cabins.
Investigators suspect the first passengers to contract the illness likely caught it while bird-watching in Ushuaia, located off Argentina’s southern coast.
Two Argentine officials looking into the origins of the outbreak said their strongest theory is that a Dutch couple visited a landfill site during their ornithological tour, where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.
Scientists have said the culprit may be the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, which is native to Argentina and Chile.
Measuring eight inches in length, the nocturnal rodents are known for their extremely long tails and carry the Andes variant of the hantavirus contracted by passengers.
A British crewmember, 56, along with a Dutch doctor, 41, and a German passenger, 65, were airlifted from the vessel on Wednesday, two of whom later tested positive.
They are being flown to receive treatment in the Netherlands. One of the flights arrived in Amsterdam on Wednesday night, with passengers being taken to hospitals for treatment.
Another stopped off in the Canary Islands to refuel after Morocco refused to let it dock.
Spanish officials said the plane was carrying two patients and had landed for technical reasons. Passengers have disembarked while they await the arrival of a new one to take them to the Netherlands.
The Spanish health ministry’s announcement on Tuesday night that the ship would dock in the Canary Islands sparked a row with the islands’ president, who said he would refuse to let it do so.
Fernando Clavijo, the Islands’ regional president, said he worried about the danger to the population and demanded a meeting with Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister.
Jorge Marichal, the president of Tenerife’s hotels association, said that competing tourist destinations such as Morocco should have “been taken into account” when considering a location for passengers to disembark.
The World Health Organisation has launched a test and trace campaign to track members of the public who may have interacted with those infected.
The South African health ministry said officials have traced 42 out of 62 people they believe had contact with the two infected passengers who travelled there, the Associated Press reported.
A British crew member is among three suspected hantavirus patients who have been evacuated from an infected cruise ship in Cape Verde.
That’s all for today
Thank you for tuning in to our live coverage of the hantavirus outbreak. This blog is now closed but here is a summary of today’s events:
- More than 20 Britons are still trapped on the cruise ship
- Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, has pledged “proper protection” to stop the virus spreading to the UK
- Case confirmed in Switzerland
- Passengers and crew members still on the ship do not have symptoms and are isolating in their cabins.
- The WHO chief said the virus outbreak is not comparable to Covid-19 and “the risk to the rest of the world is low”
WHO: Confirmed hantavirus cases rise to five
The number of confirmed hantavirus cases has risen to five, the World Health Organisation has said.
The total number of known cases of the disease has risen to include two passengers evacuated with symptoms on Wednesday.
A British crew member, 56, was removed from the vessel on Wednesday morning, along with a Dutch doctor, 41, and a German passenger, 65, officials said.
The three suspected patients are being flown to receive treatment in the Netherlands, with one plane stopping to refuel in the Canary Islands along the way this evening.
Ann Lindstrand, the WHO representative in Cape Verde, said that a sample from the third patient evacuated from the ship is still being checked.
“So far of all the cases related to this boat...we now have five confirmed with laboratory testing for Andes virus,” she said. “So it’s quite a lot.”
The previous confirmed cases include a Dutch woman whose husband died on board on April 11. A British national who fell seriously ill and was evacuated to South Africa on 27 April is now in a critical but stable condition, having tested positive for the virus.
Earlier today, a third patient who travelled on the first leg of the voyage tested positive after undergoing treatment at a hospital in Zurich.
Canary Islands push back against arrival of infected cruise ship
Officials have raised concerns about the risk posed by MV Hondius officials stepping ashore in the Canary Islands.
Fernando Clavijo, the Islands’ regional president, said he worried about the danger to the population and demanded a meeting with Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister.
Jorge Maricahl, president of Tenerife’s hotel association, said that competing tourist destinations such as Morocco should have “been taken into account” when considering a location for passengers onboard the ship to disembark.
Others worried the arrival of the infected vessel could have an impact on Pope Leo’s scheduled visit to the islands in June.
“Can you imagine the Pope with hantavirus? That’s a headline we don’t want,” local comedian Omayra Cazorla said on Instagram.
Health officials said passengers and crew members still on the ship do not have symptoms and are isolating in their cabins. Their journey to the Canary Islands will take three or four days, Spain’s health ministry said, adding that the arrival “won´t represent any risk for the public”.
Evacuation flight to stop off in Canary Islands
A plane carrying two of the suspected hantavirus patients will stop at an airport in the Canary Islands to refuel, the Spanish health ministry said.
Flight trackers show the small plane circling the island of Gran Canaria, where it is expected to make a short stop before continuing on to the Netherlands.
The islands, an autonomous region of Spain, previously refused to allow the ship to dock at any of its ports, despite the Spanish government saying it would be permitted to do so.
Bird-watching couple suspected of spreading virus to shipmates
The first cruise ship passengers to contract the virus likely caught it while bird-watching, investigators said.
Two Argentine officials looking into the origins of the outbreak said their leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in the city of Ushuaia, located on an island off southern Argentina.
The officials told the Associated Press the couple visited a landfill during a bird-watching tour where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.
A Dutch woman and her husband both died after falling sick. Only she and two others confirmed to have contracted the disease.
Argentine rat suspected of spreading virus
An Argentine rat may be responsible for the spread of the deadly virus, scientists have said.
Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: “The finding of the Andes variant strengthens the hypothesis that the initial cases were acquired in Argentina.
“This is endemic in Argentina and its host is the Long-tail pygmy rice rat, which as far as I know does not occupy ships, though I am not an expert on rats in ships.
“The question remains how this infection then spread to the later cases.”
The small rodents found in Chile and Argentina are known for their extremely long tail, making up five inches of their eight-inch total body length.
The nocturnal creatures are mostly found in scrubland and are known to be a carrier of the Andes variant of the hantavirus.
Yvette Cooper pledges ‘proper protection’ to prevent virus spreading to Britain
Yvette Cooper, the British Foreign Secretary, said the hantavirus outbreak was “very serious” as she pledged “proper protection” for Britons when nationals on the affected ship return.
Ms Cooper said: “The outbreak of hantavirus is very serious and deeply stressful for those affected and their families. The UK response is being led by the UK Health Security Agency working with the WHO.
“The Foreign Office is working urgently to support the UKHSA’s work overseas and to make sure British nationals on the MV Hondius can all get safely home with proper protection for public health.
“Foreign Office consular staff are in direct contact with British nationals onboard the ship and stand ready to provide further assistance to any British national in need of support overseas 24/7. Our crisis response centre has been operating for the last few days to provide support.
“Ministers are in close touch with our Dutch and Spanish counterparts and we have been working with other countries to facilitate the medical evacuations, to support our Overseas Territories and to get British nationals home safely as quickly as possible.”
What do we know so far?
There have now been three confirmed and five suspected cases of hantavirus. One of three people who have died since the outbreak began has been confirmed to have the virus.
Here’s what we know about the deaths:
- A 69-year-old Dutch man died on April 11 while on board. His body was removed to Saint Helena on April 24.
- His wife, also 69, went ashore with his body the same day but developed symptoms. She deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, and died on April 26. It has since been confirmed she had the virus. Both had travelled in South America, including Argentina, before boarding the ship on April 1.
- A German woman died onboard on May 2 after developing symptoms on April 28.
Regarding those with symptoms:
- A British man presented to the ship’s doctor on April 24. His condition worsened, resulting in his evacuation to a hospital in South Africa, where he in an intensive care unit. Testing confirmed he also has the hantavirus infection.
- Two members of the crew, a British man and Dutch national, were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday. They both have “acute respiratory symptoms”. A German woman was also evacuated from the ship and is being transferred to a hospital in Dusseldorf.
- A Swiss man, who had embarked on the first leg of the ship’s voyage, started experiencing symptoms at home. He presented to a hospital in Zurich. There, tests showed him to be the third confirmed case of the disease.
Swiss hantavirus patient travelled on first leg of cruise ship voyage, operator says
Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise ship’s operator, said the Swiss passenger who became the third confirmed hantavirus case had travelled on the first leg of the voyage.
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) confirmed the man and his wife were onboard the ship when it departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1.
They departed at St Helena on April 24 before returning home to Switzerland.
However, he soon noticed symptoms and went to the University Hospital Zurich for further assessment.
Tests revealed the man had the Andes strain of the virus, which is the only known hantavirus strain that can be passed between humans.
His wife, who accompanied him, has not shown symptoms but is self-isolating as a precaution.
Hantavirus outbreak not comparable to Covid, says WHO chief
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief has said the hantavirus outbreak is not similar to the emergency at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked at a media briefing if the two situations were similar, Tedros Ghebreyesus said: “No, I don’t think so.
“The risk to the rest of the world is low... We will continue to monitor and support the people in the ship, and also monitor the situation outside.
“We’re trying to do our best.”
The WHO added that it had not been notified of any changes to the Andes strain of hantavirus that would make it more transmissible.
“We haven’t been notified of any changes, of any changes in the sequence itself, to indicate that,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of epidemic and pandemic management at WHO.
Virus only spreads after very close contact with symptomatic patient
Mónica García, the Spanish health minister, has said the cruise ship will dock in the port of Granadilla, just a few minutes’ drive from Tenerife’s main airport.
From there, the patients will be repatriated by planes to their countries of origin.
She added that person-to person contagion can only take place when there is “very close contact with someone who is symptomatic”.
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Spanish interior minister, said both the WHO and the European Commission had both asked Spain to provide a safe port for the ship, adding that a public health protocol was being drawn up with European authorities to ensure that the occupants of the vessel could be treated in a secure manner.
He said there was “an ethical and humane duty” to provide assistance to the 13 passengers and one crew member from Spain on board.
Contact tracing under way to limit spread of virus
The WHO is supporting international contact tracing to ensure “that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited”.
In a statement, it said: “As of 6 May, there are eight cases, three of whom are confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing.”
The other five are suspected. South Africa’s health ministry said contact tracing was under way for possible contacts of those infected, having already identified 62 people, including flight crew and health workers.
All non-Spanish passengers to be repatriated from Tenerife
All passengers remaining on the hantavirus ship are currently asymptomatic, the Spanish health ministry has said.
After arriving in Tenerife, all non-Spanish passengers will be repatriated to their countries.
All Spanish passengers will be taken to a military hospital in Madrid for quarantine, it added.
Cruise ship requests to dock in Tenerife despite opposition
The president of the Canary Islands has said the cruise ship has requested port access in Tenerife for Saturday.
Fernando Clavijo has criticised the Spanish government over plans for where the MV Hondius should dock.
Authorities in Madrid had said the Canary Islands had a “moral and legal obligation” to permit passengers ashore after Cape Verde Islands refused.
Confirmed case in Switzerland
The Swiss government has announced that a person has been infected with hantavirus and is receiving treatment in Zurich.
Authorities said the man, who was not named, posed no danger to the Swiss population.
The WHO said the man had responded to an email from the ship’s operator after returning home from his trip, presenting himself to a hospital as a result.
Tests have since revealed that he has the Andes strain, which is the only known hantavirus strain that can be passed between humans.
The agency added that the patient’s wife had not shown symptoms, but was “self-isolating as a precaution”.
Transmission only occurs through close contact and the risk to the wider public is thought to be very low.
Watch: Crew initially told passengers outbreak wasn’t infectious
Passengers on board the MV Hondius were told by a crew member that the first hantavirus victim was not infectious.
A video shared by a Turkish YouTuber shows a staff member on board the Dutch-flagged ship reassuring passengers that there is no danger.
“One of our passengers suddenly passed away last night,” he says, adding: “I am told by the doctor they are not infectious… The ship is safe when it comes to this.”
The first fatality, a 70-year-old Dutchman, occurred on April 11 and his body was removed when the ship arrived at St Helena on April 24.
British man one of three evacuated
One of the people evacuated from the ship has been confirmed as the ship’s doctor.
He will now be flown to the Netherlands following an “improvement” in his health condition, Spain’s health ministry has said.
The Dutch foreign ministry said the Briton was 56-years-old.
The other two evacuees were a 41-year-old Dutchman and a 65-year-old German woman.
A spokesman for the hospital in Dusseldorf were the woman will be treated said she had been in contact with another infected person.
Canary Islands’ president: Risk of virus is very real
Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, has insisted that the risk to islanders is “clearly very real”.
He repeated calls for more clarity and clearer communication from Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, over the hantavirus outbreak.
“We do not know the condition of the passengers or how many have been infected,” Mr Clavijo said. “If an agreement has been reached with the WHO without consulting the Canary Islands, I ask him to explain the details of the agreement and the medical and technical criteria that differ from those agreed yesterday at midday.”
He said he had only received information from the media, and reiterated calls to meet his mainland Spanish counterpart to discuss the outbreak.
Oceanwide Expedition, the cruise ship’s operator, said the plan remained for the vessel to sail to Tenerife in its latest statement.
Do you know someone on board MV Hondius? Get in touch
Where did the virus originate?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the virus could have been brought on board by a Dutch couple, who had been travelling in South America.
The couple and a German passenger have died since the outbreak began, and a British national has been evacuated from the ship and is in intensive care in South Africa.
The first fatality, a 70-year-old Dutchman, occurred on April 11 and his body was removed when the ship arrived at St Helena on April 24.
On the same day, his 69-year-old wife disembarked on the island with gastrointestinal symptoms. Her condition deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg and she died upon arrival at the emergency department on April 26.
The ship, carrying 148 people, has been anchored off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, after authorities denied those on board permission to disembark, citing wider health concerns.
Ship sets sail for Canary Islands... despite archipelago’s refusal
The removal of the three suspected hantavirus patients means the cruise ship can now begin its three-day journey to the Canary Islands.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch tour company, said the vessel’s planned destination remained the archipelago, despite a row between the Islands’ president and the Spanish government.
Authorities in Madrid said on Tuesday that the Canary Islands had a “moral and legal obligation” to assist the passengers, some of whom are Spanish citizens, by permitting the ship to dock after Cape Verde refused.
But Fernando Clavijo, the its president, has insisted he will not allow the ship to dock there.
Demanding a meeting with Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, Mr Clavijo said: “I cannot allow it to enter the Canary Islands.
“This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety.”
Pictured: Suspected patients being removed from cruise ship
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus, a rare virus with a fatality rate of between 1 and 15 per cent in Asia and up to 50 per cent in the Americas, is typically spread from contaminated urine, droppings and the saliva of infected rodents.
Scientists in South Africa have identified the Andes strain of hantavirus, found largely in Argentina and Chile and believed to spread from human to human, in two of the cases on board the vessel. Less commonly, it can be spread through contaminated surfaces.
Initially, this was not thought to be the case, with crew telling passengers that the outbreak’s first victim was not infectious.
British crew member among those evacuated
A British crew member is among three suspected hantavirus patients who have been evacuated from a cruise ship in Cape Verde.
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) director, said the individuals were now on their way to receive treatment in the Netherlands.
The Briton was removed alongside a Dutch colleague and another passenger. More than 20 British passengers remain trapped on board the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius.
Following their removal, the vessel, which has been stranded in Cape Verde since Sunday, will now begin its three-day journey to the Canary Islands.
