Khaberni - Developments related to the cruise ship "MV Hondius" accelerated on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, with reassuring data issued by the World Health Organization, despite the start of the medical evacuation of the infected towards the Netherlands and Spain.
Evacuation operations and medical itinerary
Arrival in Amsterdam: A medical plane carrying one of the infected passengers landed at Amsterdam airport, after being evacuated from the Cape Verde Islands.
Stop in the Canary Islands: Another plane carrying two patients landed in "Las Palmas" for technical reasons, where the Spanish Health Minister confirmed that they would subsequently be transferred to the Netherlands on a new plane.
The situation on the ship: "Hondius" is currently heading to the island of "Tenerife" to officially repatriate the foreign passengers to their countries according to strict health protocols.
Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tried to calm international concerns, affirming the following points:
Low risk: Tedros ruled out comparing the situation with the COVID pandemic, noting that the "Hanta" virus is less pervasive and requires very close contact to transmit.
Rare strain: Tests revealed that the infections were due to the "Andes strain", the only type of "Hanta" virus suspected of having the capability to transmit between humans.
Contact tracing: Authorities in South Africa are vigorously pursuing tracing the 82 passengers who were on a commercial flight with the Dutch woman who later died, to ensure the virus does not spread into the community.
Despite the panic induced by the deaths of three people (a Dutch couple and a third person), the swift international response and containment of the infections within the "bubble" of the ship provide hope for quickly resolving the crisis.
The next three days, with the ship docking in the Canary Islands, will be the final test to ensure the safety of the remaining passengers and crew, who hail from 23 different nationalities.
