A medical evacuation operation has been carried out for passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship after a hantavirus outbreak, with flights transporting affected individuals from Cape Verde to Europe.
One medical plane landed in the Canary Islands of Spain on Wednesday, while a second flight departed for the Netherlands, according to flight tracking data.
The World Health Organization confirmed that three people were evacuated from the ship, which has been anchored off Cape Verde since the outbreak was reported.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to reassure the public, stating that the situation was not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic and that the global risk remained low.
Health officials said the strain identified on board is the Andes variant of hantavirus, a rare form capable of human-to-human transmission, although experts emphasised that such spread is uncommon and typically requires close contact.
The outbreak has been linked to at least three deaths, with additional suspected cases under investigation. Two patients are currently receiving treatment in Johannesburg and Zurich.
The Hondius, which departed from Argentina in April, has been at the centre of international concern after passengers began showing symptoms weeks into the voyage.
Authorities are also tracing passengers who may have been exposed during earlier travel, including a commercial flight from Saint Helena to South Africa.
Despite concerns, officials in multiple countries, including Spain and Switzerland, have reiterated that the risk to the wider public remains low as containment and monitoring efforts continue.
