Three people with suspected hantavirus have been medically evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, including a British expedition guide named Martin Anstee, 56. A Dutch colleague and a German passenger were also removed from the vessel, which is now heading for the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for it to dock.
Anstee, who told Sky News he was “doing OK”, was taken from the ship along with the 41-year-old ship’s doctor and a 65-year-old German passenger. He was previously in a critical condition but Spanish health officials said he was now more stable. The three were evacuated for onward travel to the Netherlands, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed.
The WHO reported eight cases in total, five of them confirmed, and stressed that the overall public health risk remained low. The evacuation allowed the ship, carrying nearly 150 people, to continue its three-day journey to the Canary Islands, though the regional president of Tenerife expressed concern over the docking. The ship was anchored off Cape Verde while arrangements were made.
Two people who returned to the UK independently from the ship have been advised to self-isolate, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said, adding that neither was currently reporting symptoms. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK had worked with other countries to facilitate evacuations and that Foreign Office staff were in direct contact with British nationals onboard. A former passenger who tested positive is being treated in a Zurich hospital, Swiss authorities confirmed, stating there was “no risk” to the public.
