The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has said he disagrees with Spain’s decision to allow a cruise ship with a rare and deadly outbreak of hantavirus to dock. Three people have died on board the MV Hondius, a Dutch couple and a German, but only a Dutch woman has been officially confirmed to have the virus. “I cannot allow this ship to enter the Canary Islands. This decision (by Spain) is not based on any technical criteria, and we have not received sufficient information,” Clavijo told COPE radio.
Hantavirus is usually transmitted to humans by rodents. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare. In addition, a 69-year-old British man evacuated from a ship in South Africa has been diagnosed with hantavirus. On Wednesday, Swiss authorities announced that the virus had also been detected in one of their citizens, who was also a passenger on that ship.
