'AP: Inside the Cruise Ship at the Center of the Hantavirus Outbreak'

 Footage obtained by the Associated Press of a cruise ship at the center of a rare-virus outbreak shows deserted decks and gathering areas, medical teams in protective gear, and a still landscape ahead as the vessel and its nearly 150 passengers and crew waited another day for direction and help off the coast of West Africa.

Three passengers have died and at least four people are sick in what health officials say is an outbreak of hantavirus, which usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) said passengers are isolating in their cabins and that the vessel -- in the Atlantic off Cape Verde -- might be moved to Spain's Canary Islands. But Spanish officials said Tuesday that they were monitoring the situation and haven't made a decision.

Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said that WHO is investigating possible human-to-human transmission on the ship, and that officials suspect the first infected person likely contracted the virus before boarding. She said officials have been told there are no rats on board.

The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weeks-long polar cruise, departed April 1 from Argentina for Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic.

"Our days have been close to normal, just waiting for authorities to find a solution," passenger Qasem Elhato, 31 -- who sent AP the video footage -- said via WhatsApp. "But morale on the ship is high and we're keeping ourselves busy with reading, watching movies, having hot drinks, and that kind of things."

Helene Goessaert, another passenger, told Belgian broadcaster VRT that everyone onboard is "in the same boat, literally."

"You don't embark on a trip with the idea that one of your fellow passengers won't make it," she said.

"We receive information at regular intervals. It is accurate. For the rest, it is a waiting game," she added. "Today we received fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. That was very important to us."

Evacuation Plans Remain to Be Seen

Authorities in Cape Verde sent teams of doctors, surgeons, nurses, and laboratory specialists to provide the vessel with medical support. They were seen in Elhato's video footage -- wearing white overalls, boots, and face masks as they disembarked to a smaller vessel.

Officials in Cape Verde's capital of Praia, a city of less than 200,000 people, said they have stepped up safety protocols, particularly near the port, as a precautionary measure against the rodent-borne illness.

Elhato said passengers were wearing masks and social distancing -- practices that became hallmarks of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said it had implemented its highest level of response plan, with isolation measures, hygiene protocols, and medical monitoring.

Oceanwide Expeditions said Tuesday evening that two specialized aircraft were flying to Cape Verde to evacuate two people who need urgent medical care and one person who was traveling with a German woman who died on board Saturday. They were to be taken to the Netherlands, though exactly when that would happen was not immediately clear.

Once the medical evacuation happens, the ship plans to sail to the Canary Islands, either Gran Canaria or Tenerife, a voyage of some 3 days, the company said in its statement, adding that "discussions are ongoing with relevant authorities."

Spanish health officials had said in an earlier statement that they were monitoring and that "the most appropriate port of call will be decided. Until then, the Ministry of Health will not adopt any decision, as we have informed the World Health Organization."

The Situation Is Under Careful Monitoring

The ship left Ushuaia in southern Argentina on April 1, according to Argentine provincial authorities.

Officials in Argentina -- where hantavirus led to 28 deaths nationwide last year, according to the health ministry -- said they confirmed no passengers had symptoms when the Hondius departed. Symptoms can appear up to 8 weeks after exposure, officials have said.

The WHO said Monday night that, as of then, no new people on the ship had shown symptoms of the virus, but the situation is being "carefully monitored" for further developments.

"The outbreak is being managed through coordinated international response, and includes in-depth investigations, case isolation and care, medical evacuation, and laboratory investigations," the WHO has also said.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/generalinfectiousdisease/121113