90-Second Read: The Hantavirus Cruise Has Been Evacuated

Infamous cruise ship the MV Hondius, now known as the site of a closely-watched Hantavirus outbreak, is anchored just outside the Spanish island of Tenerife. The ship, which is now famous as the site of an outbreak of Hantavirus, a potentially fatal respiratory illness, has been anchored off the Spanish island of Tenerife, where its passengers will disembark. Since then, six confirmed cases of Hantavirus and two suspected cases have been linked to the outbreak on the ship. The passengers of cruise ship MV Hondius are finally evacuating the vessel, but their journey isn't over yet.

Then an elderly German passenger also died aboard the ship shortly before reaching Cape Verde. The news has been met with fear by a world still reeling from the pandemic, as Hantavirus, a viral disease transmitted to humans by rodents that causes serious infections of the lungs or kidneys, does not have a specific vaccine, treatment, or cure. Disembarkation began under the supervision of the World Health Organization, which said it considered all those on the Hondius "high-risk contacts" to be actively monitored for 42 days. After the Spanish central government issued an executive order, they were forced to comply.

But on April 11, 70-year-old Dutch passenger Leo Schilperoord died following a brief illness. The illness, which occurs through contact with infected animals or their excrement and manifests itself through sudden fever, headache and severe lung infections, had local authorities in the Canary Islands so concerned that they had initially refused to allow the ship to dock. Ditto for Spaniards, Germans, Americans, and Australians, who will be the last to disembark: there are 23 nationalities on board. Those travelers are not the only people who remain isolated.