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Fernando Clavijo, the leader of the Spanish Canary Islands, expressed his opposition on Wednesday to a ship docking in the region and sought an urgent meeting with Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
This stance stands in contrast to the Spanish central government’s decision, which indicated that the ship would be permitted to dock at the secondary port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands.
According to World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, three individuals were evacuated from Cape Verde and are set to travel to the Netherlands. This announcement was made on Wednesday.
Among those evacuated is the ship’s British doctor. Initially bound for the Canary Islands, he is now headed for the Netherlands as his health has improved, according to the Spanish health ministry.
In addition, the tour operator announced on Wednesday that two specialist doctors from the Netherlands will join the vessel after it departs from Cape Verde. Another doctor is already present on board.
The Swiss government confirmed one patient was being treated for hantavirus in hospital after returning to Switzerland from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which is in the midst of a deadly outbreak of the rodent-borne disease.
“The man had returned from a trip to South America with his wife at the end of April,” the government said in a statement.
“Having noticed symptoms, he telephoned his GP and went to the University Hospital Zurich for further assessment.”
The man was “immediately placed in isolation” in hospital, before lab tests revealed a positive test for the American-strained hantavirus variant.
The man’s wife, who accompanied him on the cruise, is not showing any symptoms of the virus but is self-isolating as a precaution.
The Swiss health department said the risk of hantavirus to the public in Switzerland was low.
“Unlike the European hantaviruses, which are transmitted through excretions of infected rodents, for the American hantavirus variant, person-to-person transmission has also been documented in rare cases,” the department wrote.
“However, transmission only occurs through close contact. The FOPH therefore considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely.
“The FOPH therefore considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely.”
In addition to the Swiss patient, two laboratory-confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases have been identified from the ship cluster, according to the World Health Organisation.
That includes three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.
Clavijo, the Canary Islands leader, publicly rejected the Spanish government’s call to allow the MV Hondius to dock in the islands.
The luxury cruise ship has been suspended in waters off Cape Verde on the African coast, which was meant to be the ship’s final destination, since May 3.
The Spanish Health Ministry said it had been asked by the World Health Organisation and the European Union to take MV Hondius “in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles”, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
But, speaking to radio station COPE, Clavijo said he could not allow the vessel to enter the Canaries.
“This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety,” Clavijo told radio station COPE, according to Reuters.
Earlier today, Spanish state broadcaster TVE said the infected cruise ship was heading towards Europe and expected to dock in Tenerife in the next few days, citing sources from the country’s health ministry.
On Monday, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed four Australians were among 88 passengers and 68 crew aboard the ship.
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