New Delhi, May 7 (IANS). Amid growing concern around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday confirmed that there have been five cases of Hantavirus linked to the infection spread on a cruise ship, while three other cases are still suspected.
A total of eight cases of severe respiratory illness have been found, of which three people have died. Andes virus infection has been confirmed in five of these cases.
WHO has now informed the 12 countries whose citizens had already disembarked from the cruise ship ‘MV Hondius’ off St. Helena, the remote British territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, during the trip.
These 12 countries include Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States of America.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva that if public health measures are taken quickly and appropriately, the agency currently expects the infection to remain ‘limited’.
However, he warned that in many countries, investigation of travelers and people who came in contact with them is ongoing, so further cases may emerge.
WHO said that about 2,500 hantavirus test kits are being sent from Argentinian labs to five countries.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch operator of the ‘MV Hondius’ ship, told the media that a total of 149 people are present on the ship. These include people from 23 different countries.
Meanwhile, two suspected Hantavirus patients isolated from the ‘MV Hondius’ ship remain in a grounded air ambulance in Spain’s Canary Islands. After a technical glitch, they are now waiting for another plane.
According to the Spanish Health Ministry, the plane had departed from Cape Verde and was scheduled to stop for refueling in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on its way to Amsterdam. According to media reports, Moroccan authorities did not give permission to land there.
“During refueling, the plane’s doctor reported a malfunction in the patient’s electrical support system,” Spain’s health ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, Spain had said that it would allow the MV Hondias, a ship linked to the Hanta virus, to arrive in the Canary Islands under international law and humanitarian sentiments.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is currently conducting a detailed assessment of the situation on the ship to determine which passengers require immediate evacuation to Cape Verde. The remaining passengers and crew members will reach the Canary Islands in the next three to four days.
–IANS
AY/DKP