The person, who is a man, had been traveling on the Dutch flag, Hondius, at the center of the outbreak.
He is being treated at a hospital in Zurich after returning to Switzerland and responding to an email from the ship’s operator.
“In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further spread of disease is contained,” the agency said in a post on X.
As of Wednesday, three of the ship’s 147 passengers have died since it sailed across the Atlantic from Argentina to its current berth off the coast of Cabo Verde, according to the WHO.
On X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that three passengers “have just been evacuated” from the ship and were on their way to the Netherlands for treatment.
“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low,” Tedros stressed.
Expedition ship
Publicly available data indicates that the vessel was built in Croatia and launched in June 2018. The Hondius is approximately 108 meters long and is listed under ship identification number 9818709 with the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The ship has capacity for 196 passengers and 72 crew members; it is named after the 17thth century map publisher and engraver Jodocus Hondius.
The expedition ship’s maiden voyage in 2019 took it from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to the volcanic island of Jan Mayen and Spitzbergen in the Arctic Circle.
That’s what the UN agency said the victims may have been infected with the disease before boarding. It has reported eight cases of infection so far, including three confirmed as Andean hantavirus in laboratory experiments.
On Tuesday, the WHO said one person was in intensive care in South Africa, although their condition was “improving”.
The work to identify the virus has involved National Institute of Communicable Diseases of South Africa and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). The Pasteur Institute in Dakar and Argentina’s National Administration of Health Laboratories and Institutes also provided additional “critical” support, the WHO noted.
Patient care is ‘highest priority’
“WHO will continue to work with countries to ensure that patients, contacts, passengers and crew have the information and support they need to stay safe and prevent spread,” the agency said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the WHO said the “highest priority” was to evacuate the two sick passengers still on board “to ensure they have the care they receive”.
When the ship reaches the Canary Islands, explained the agency’s Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove that the Spanish authorities would carry out a full epidemiological investigation and full disinfection of the ship before assessing the risk to passengers remaining on board.
“We’ve heard from quite a few people, you know, on the boat. We just want you to know that we’re working with the operators of the ship. We’re working with the countries where you’re coming from. We hear you. We know you’re scared.” said Dr. Van Kerkhove, WHO director (ai) epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, spoke to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
As a precautionary measure, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out.
