Doomed cruise ship pleads to offload another two ill passengers in remote Cape Verde islands after three died from rat-borne hantavirus

Dutch authorities will attempt to repatriate two sick people from a cruise ship battling a suspected outbreak of hantavirus that has already claimed three lives, the vessel’s operator said Monday. 

In its first statement on the crisis, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed it was dealing with ‘a serious medical situation’ on board the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.

‘Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius from Cape Verde to the Netherlands,’ the operator said. 

‘If this can take place, the ministry of foreign affairs will coordinate it,’ said a spokesman from the Dutch foreign ministry.

However, Cape Verdean authorities are reluctant to allow the move, with local outlet A Nacao reporting that the president of the Cape Verdean Public Health Institute said the ship should ‘continue its route’ and passengers will not be disembarking in Cape Verde in order to protect the local population.

According to several online ship–tracking sites, the ship has been stuck off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde for at least 24 hours with the situation showing no signs of resolving soon.

A statement from cruise firm Oceanwide Expeditions issued on Sunday night stated that ‘no authorisation’ has been granted from Cape Verdean authorities to allow those requiring medical care to disembark. 

Meanwhile, passengers face an agonising wait to learn if they have contracted the virus – which can take up to eight weeks to show symptoms. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed six suspected cases of a hantavirus infection on the MV Hondius.

A 70-year-old passenger was the first to die followed by his 69-year-old wife. They are both Dutch nationals. A 69-year-old Briton was taken to Johannesburg, where he is being treated in intensive care.

According to the UK Government‘s hantavirus advice, symptoms typically appear anywhere from two to four weeks but can range from two days to eight weeks after exposure, meaning illness may develop in other passengers in the coming days or weeks.

Around 40 per cent of cases result in death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. 

The WHO said on Sunday night it was ‘aware of the cases of severe acute respiratory illness on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic’.

It confirmed three people had died onboard – with the British man confirmed as the victim of a hantavirus infection – and said it was investigating six suspected cases in total.

Hantaviruses – a family of viruses – are spread by rodents, in particular through contact with their urine, droppings and saliva.

They are known to cause a range of diseases in humans ranging from mild, flu-like illness to severe respiratory illness or haemorrhagic disease.

 Early symptoms can include fatigue, fever, muscle aches and intense headaches.

They are not usually spread person-to-person and are typically only transferred via bodily fluids and close contact.

The risk of contracting the illness can be reduced through minimising contact with rodents.

Hantavirus was in the news last year, when it was confirmed that actor Gene Hackman’s wife died from the rodent-borne disease. Hackman died of heart disease shortly after.

Laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations are now taking place – with medical care and support provided to passengers and crew, the WHO said.

Images from the MV Hondius show gourmet dining and a dedicated crew before the deadly outbreak sent the voyage into chaos.

The ship’s chef, Khabir Moraes, shared photos on his Facebook of fancy meals and passengers enjoying themselves before the outbreak began.