Overview
- MV Hondius, which departed Cabo Verde on Wednesday after three medical evacuations, is sailing to Tenerife with about 149 to 150 people isolated on board.
- WHO and labs in South Africa and Geneva confirmed the Andes hantavirus in linked cases, a variant known for uncommon human-to-human transmission that requires close, prolonged contact.
- Spain’s health ministry said the ship is expected to reach the port of Granadilla in three to four days and outlined plans to repatriate foreign passengers and place 14 Spanish nationals in hospital quarantine in Madrid.
- Canary Islands regional leader Fernando Clavijo publicly opposed receiving the vessel, while Spain’s central government accepted a WHO request to process the ship in the archipelago.
- WHO reports three deaths linked to the outbreak and eight total cases with five lab-confirmed, and authorities are tracing contacts from a South African Airlink flight and a passenger now treated in Zurich.