Those on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship have been largely confined to their cabins following the deaths of three passengers, according to footage obtained from the vesssel.
The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weeks-long polar expedition from Argentina to Antarctica and various South Atlantic islands, has been awaiting assistance off Cape Verde.
The West African country has denied passengers permission to disembark due to pressing public health concerns.
Instead, the ship will now sail more than 1,000 miles to the Canary Islands following the medical evacuation of three people on board.
Footage from the ship reveals mostly deserted decks, with only a few people wearing medical masks visible.
Common areas were empty as passengers remained isolated in their cabins. At least five people in full protective gear, including white overalls, boots, and face masks, were observed transferring from the ship to a smaller vessel.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that passengers were asked to stay in their cabins to “limit their risk while disinfection and other measures are being taken”.
Officials in Cape Verde’s capital of Praia, a city of less than 200,000 people, said they have stepped up safety protocols, particularly near the port, as a precautionary measure against the rodent-borne illness that WHO says may be transmitted between people, though that is rare.
It remains unclear when the sick people on board would be evacuated.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the plan for now is for the ship “to continue on to the Canary Islands”.
“We’re working with Spanish authorities, who will welcome the ship,” Dr Kerkhove said.
She also stressed there are no other people with symptoms on board and that “once the two sick individuals on board are medically evacuated, then the ship can move”.
Earlier, authorities in Cape Verde said three individuals on the ship reported mild symptoms.
However, the Spanish health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday it was “conducting close monitoring, together with the World Health Organization and other involved countries, of the situation on the ship … (and) the most appropriate port of call will be decided.
“Until then, the Ministry of Health will not adopt any decision, as we have informed the World Health Organization.”
Meanwhile, Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement late on Monday the atmosphere on board “remains calm, with passengers generally composed” and that the response plan implemented on board was at the highest level, 3, and includes isolation measures, hygiene protocols, and medical monitoring.
The ship left Ushuaia in southern Argentina on 1 April, according to Argentine provincial authorities.
Although health officials in Ushuaia have said they confirmed no passengers had hantavirus symptoms when the ship departed, symptoms can appear up to eight weeks after exposure, Juan Facundo Petrina, director of epidemiology for Tierra del Fuego province, said in an interview from Ushuaia.
Cape Verde’s National Director of Health Angela Gomes told the state-run Radiotelevisao Caboverdiana radio that authorities are focused on guaranteeing “the maximum level of safety” for the local population.
