Three patients were medically evacuated<\/a> from the MV Hondius to receive treatment in the Netherlands, health authorities said earlier. The Briton is now in stable condition, Monica Garcia said in a press conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Eight suspected cases of hantavirus have now been linked to the boat, the World Health Organisation said, with five of the cases confirmed.<\/p>\n Oceanwide, the cruise ship operator, said the planned destination for the ship was still the Canary Islands, despite its leader Fernando Clavijo blocking the vessel from docking in Tenerife, saying there is not \u201csufficient information\u201d to guarantee public safety.<\/p>\n South Africa\u2019s health ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the two passengers tested within the country have the Andes strain of the virus, which, though rare, has been known to be transmissible between humans.<\/p>\n Swiss officials confirmed one case is being treated in Zurich.<\/p>\n Global health authorities said the suspected outbreak<\/a> may be transmitting between passengers on board the Dutch-flagged vessel, but maintained that the risk to global health is low.<\/p>\n A total of eight suspected cases have been identified \u2013 including three deaths.<\/p>\n <\/a>Confirmed hantavirus cases rises to five <\/p>\n The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the number of confirmed hantavirus cases has risen to five, including two passengers who were evacuated on Wednesday. <\/p>\n Another three cases are suspected to be hantavirus, with a total of eight cases linked to the boat. <\/p>\n WHO said earlier on Wednesday that three cases had been confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing. <\/p>\n Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 17:22<\/p>\n <\/a>Netherlands hospital prepared for Hantavirus patient<\/p>\n The Netherland\u2019s Leiden University Medical Hospital, which is expecting to receive a patient aboard the MV Hondius, said the department where they will be seen is well prepared.<\/p>\n In a statement posted on its website, the hospital said: \u201dIn addition to isolation rooms for patients, all protective equipment for our staff is available. Treatment takes place in strict isolation, following the applicable protocols. <\/p>\n \u201cThe LUMC has specialised isolation facilities. To be and remain well prepared, regular drills are conducted for the arrival of patients with (potentially) serious illnesses.\u201d <\/p>\n The hospital said other patients or visitors were not at risk of infection and did not need to take any special measures. <\/p>\n Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 17:13<\/p>\n <\/a>In pictures: Patients evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship at a port in Praia Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 16:37<\/p>\n <\/a>What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak<\/p>\n Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 16:11<\/p>\n <\/a>Foreign Office \u2018working urgently\u2019 to bring home British nationals on MV Hondius<\/p>\n Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports: <\/p>\n The Foreign Office is \u201cworking urgently\u201d to \u201cmake sure British nationals on the MV Hondius can all get safely home with proper protection for public health\u201d, Yvette Cooper said on Wednesday. <\/p>\n In a statement, the foreign secretary said: \u201cThe outbreak of Hantavirus is very serious and deeply stressful for those affected and their families. The UK response is being led by the UK Health Security Agency working with the WHO. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Foreign Office is working urgently to support the UKHSA\u2019s work overseas and to make sure British nationals on the MV Hondius can all get safely home with proper protection for public health. <\/p>\n \u201cForeign Office consular staff are in direct contact with British nationals onboard the ship and stand ready to provide further assistance to any British national in need of support overseas 24\/7 – our crisis response centre has been operating for the last few days to provide support.\u201d <\/p>\n She added: \u201cMinisters are in close touch with our Dutch and Spanish counterparts and we have been working with other countries to facilitate the medical evacuations, to support our Overseas Territories and to get British nationals home safely as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 15:50<\/p>\n <\/a>Breaking: Investigators say a couple on cruise ship possibly got hantavirus while bird-watching in Argentina<\/p>\n Two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship that sailed from southern Argentina say the government’s leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in the city of Ushuaia before boarding.<\/p>\n They said the couple visited a landfill during the bird-watching tour where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.<\/p>\n The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, with the investigation ongoing. Previously authorities said that Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego had never recorded a case of the hantavirus.<\/p>\n Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 15:40<\/p>\n <\/a>Plans for hantavirus cruise ship to still dock in Canary Islands despite leader’s opposition<\/p>\n The M\/V Hondius is still expected to sail to the Canary Islands, despite its leader blocking the ship from docking in Tenerife. <\/p>\n In an update on Wednesday afternoon, the virus-hit cruise ship\u2019s operator Oceanwide said: \u201cAt this stage, the planned onward destination for m\/v Hondius is the Canary Islands. <\/p>\n \u201cOceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding the exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline.\u201d <\/p>\n It comes just hours after the regional president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, rejected plans for the ship to dock there, expressing concern over how its arrival could put the local population at risk.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision \u200bis not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the \u200bpublic or guarantee their safety,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n He said the Hondius had requested permission for the ship to dock in Tenerife on 9 May.<\/p>\n Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 15:24<\/p>\n <\/a>Two evacuees in serious condition, cruise operator says<\/p>\n We\u2019ve had a new update from Oceanwide, the cruise operator running the M\/V Hondius. <\/p>\n They confirm thar three individuals have been successfully evacuated, two of whom are in a \u201cserious condition\u201d. <\/p>\n The third is asymptomatic but was \u201cclosely associated with the individual who passed away on board on 2 May\u201d, the statement reads. <\/p>\n The two symptomatic individuals have not yet tested positive for hantavirus. <\/p>\n Alex Croft6 May 2026 15:01<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778085430_139_download.jpg\")
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(AP)<\/p>\n