The five passengers have been placed in strict isolation and will undergo diagnostic tests and medical evaluation, while the international operation continues for the hantavirus outbreak detected on the ship.
One of the French repatriated from the MV Hondius presents symptoms
The international operation for the hantavirus outbreak of the MV Hondius adds a new health incident. One of the five French passengers repatriated this Sunday from Spain to France presented symptoms during the sanitary flight back, according to the French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu.
The five French citizens had disembarked from the cruise ship in Tenerife and were transferred by an air ambulance to Le Bourget airport, north of Paris. From there, they were taken to Bichat hospital, where they will remain under medical surveillance and isolation.
Strict isolation and medical tests
Lecornu explained that the five passengers have been placed "immediately" in strict isolation until further notice. All will receive medical attention, diagnostic tests, and a complete health assessment.
The French Government is also preparing a decree to activate specific isolation measures for contacts, with the aim of protecting the general population and ordering the health monitoring of exposed individuals.
The MV Hondius arrived this Sunday in Tenerife
The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak that has left three dead, entered the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife, this Sunday to begin the disembarkation and repatriation of passengers and crew.
The ship had remained under international surveillance after the WHO confirmed six cases of hantavirus and two probable ones linked to the vessel. The identified strain is the Andes virus, a variant that can be transmitted between people in rare cases of close and prolonged contact.
The Spaniards, transferred to Gómez Ulla
The operation also includes Spanish citizens related to the ship. Fourteen Spaniards -13 passengers and one crew member- were evacuated to Madrid on a military plane and transferred to the Central Defense Hospital Gómez Ulla to undergo tests and health surveillance.
According to the information available, the rest of the passengers had arrived at the port of Granadilla without symptoms, although the authorities maintain caution due to the incubation period of the virus and the exceptional nature of the outbreak on a cruise ship.