The cruise ship company 'MV Hondius', Oceanwide Expeditions, announced this Wednesday that two doctors specialized in infectious diseases, from the Netherlands, are traveling to the ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak to provide assistance to passengers.
According to the company, the intention is for these two specialists to remain on board after the planned departure from Cape Verde, provided that the transfer of the three people with the most severe conditions is successfully carried out. An additional health worker who is already on the ship is added to these reinforcements.
For now, the company has explained that the cruise ship continues anchored off the coast of Cape Verde and that the plan to evacuate the three most affected passengers this Thursday to an aircraft specifically prepared for this type of transfer is maintained.
Oceanwide Expeditions has detailed that two of these patients show acute symptoms, while the third person is closely related to the passenger who died on board on May 2.
The shipping company has added that the itinerary contemplates the ship heading to the Canary Islands. "Oceanwide Expeditions maintains constant dialogue with the relevant authorities regarding the exact point of arrival, quarantine and health control procedures for all passengers, and a precise schedule," the company indicated in a new statement.
In this line, the company stresses that it is not in a position to offer more details about the subsequent trip, since everything will depend on medical recommendations and the "result of the rigorous health control procedures."
At the same time, the shipping company emphasizes that it maintains a "close collaboration" with local and international authorities, including the World Health Organization, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment of the Netherlands, the embassies involved, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.