Cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak to sail to Canary Islands

A Dutch cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak on board is to sail to the Canary Islands, Spain has said.

Spain's health ministry said officials are determining which passengers require urgent evacuation from Cape Verde, where the ship is currently docked.

The remaining passengers will go on to the Canary Islands, where they are expected to arrive within three to four days, it said, adding that the exact port of arrival has not yet been decided.

Three passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius have died, after it set sail from Argentina on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean around a month ago.

Two crew members, including the ship's doctor, require urgent medical care and are waiting to be medically evacuated. A third person linked to a German national who died is also due to be evacuated.

In its statement, the health ministry said the doctor, who is in serious condition, will be evacuated to the Canary Islands today on a hospital aircraft.

It said the World Health Organization (WHO) had explained that Cape Verde "cannot carry out this operation".

"The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities. Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are several Spanish citizens," the statement added.

Hantavirus is usually spread from rodents, but the WHO has said it could have spread among "really close contacts" aboard the ship. It stressed the risk to the public was low.

Seven cases of hantavirus - two confirmed and five suspected - have so far been identified, according to the latest WHO update.

The two confirmed cases are a Dutch woman, who is among those who died, and a 69-year-old UK national who was evacuated to South Africa for medical treatment.

The woman's husband also died but he is not a confirmed case, nor is the German national who passed away on 2 May.

Some 149 people from 23 countries remain aboard under "strict precautionary measures", the ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. Aside from a British crew member, who is among those due to be evacuated, there are 22 other British nationals aboard.