According to the Department of Health, the second passenger experienced mild symptoms. All US citizens are being transported to the country by plane, including two passengers with symptoms who are traveling in special bio-isolation chambers. In the case of the second passenger with symptoms, the presence of the virus has not yet been confirmed.
Hantaviruses are a group of pathogens that are usually transmitted by rodents, but in rare cases can be transmitted from person to person. Health authorities believe the risk of spreading the virus is low. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Andes hantavirus species identified on MV Hondius can cause severe lung disease, with up to 50 percent cases can lead to death.
WHO reported in Friday's update that eight people on the ship fell ill and are no longer on board, and six of them were confirmed infected with the virus. A Dutch couple and a German citizen died.
American infected with hantavirus. There is a reaction from the authorities
The U.S. Department of Health said the Department of State will arrange to airlift passengers to the Regional Treatment Center for Emerging Pathogens (RESPTC) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, and the passenger with mild symptoms will be flown to another RESPTC. He added that upon arrival at the facilities, each person will undergo a clinical assessment and receive care tailored to their health condition.
As Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia announced at a press conference on Sunday evening, 94 of the almost 150 passengers of the MV Hondius left the ship. Flights to Madrid, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, Turkey and the USA departed from the airport in the south of Tenerife. Two more flights are scheduled for Monday – to Australia and the Netherlands.
