Tourists evacuated are from the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. WHO also confirms that the identified strain is the Andean, the only one transmissible between humans
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that three suspected cases of contamination from the hantavirus outbreak on board the Hondius have already been removed from the cruise ship anchored off Praia, in Cape Verde, and are on their way to the Netherlands to receive medical treatment, writes Reuters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands also stated that the passengers are a Dutch citizen, a British citizen and a German citizen.
However, the WHO also confirms that the identified strain is the Andean, the only one transmissible between humans. This Wednesday the South African Minister of Health, in a parliamentary committee.
Two of the cruise ship’s passengers had been transferred to Johannesburg, one died and the other remains hospitalized.
“Initial tests show that it is, in fact, the Andean strain. This is the only strain, among the 38 known strains, that can be transmitted from one person to another”, explained the Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi.
The ship, with 149 people (88 passengers) of 23 nationalities, was traveling between Ushuaia, Argentina, where it left on March 20, and the Canary Islands, with stops in the South Atlantic for wildlife observation tourism.
