Hantavirus ship guests, 17 from U.S., leave in stages

Jan Dobrogowski, the captain of the MV Hondius cruise ship, on Monday asked for privacy for passengers returning to their home countries for tests and quarantine. As of Monday, nine cases of the rare rodent virus—seven confirmed and two suspected—were identified among the ship’s passengers, who sailed from Argentina to a variety of locations in and near the Antarctic. Three of the individuals have died from the disease, which has a 35% mortality rate. The specific strain of hantavirus onboard the ship can be passed between humans, according to the World Health Organization.

The ship on Sunday docked at Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands and immediately began offloading its passengers in small groups, one nationality at a time. The passengers, more than 100 in total, were immediately transferred to waiting aircraft for flights back to their home countries. Their luggage would remain on board for now, cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions said.

The World Health Organization first confirmed the presence of hantavirus about a week earlier, after three passengers died from the rare rodent virus. Dozens of guests left the ship before it traveled to the Canary Islands.

A total of 17 American passengers, including one who tested positive for the virus, were expected to arrive in the United States on Monday, according to the U.S. Health Department. The infected passenger and one other person with symptoms traveled in biocontainment units, according to the department. Most of the group would receive evaluation and care at a special pathogen treatment center affiliated with the University of Nebraska in Omaha, Neb., the department said.

Where is the Hondius headed after all the passengers and some crew members leave? The ship will take on supplies before beginning a five-day sail to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, according to Oceanwide Expeditions. The company said it would provide more details on the crew’s plans in the future.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s initial report on the hantavirus outbreak.