US plans evacuation flight for Americans on Hantavirus Ship
US plans evacuation flight for Americans on Hantavirus Ship
The United States said Friday it was organising an evacuation flight for Americans on a hantavirus-struck cruise ship that has sailed to the Canary Islands, which are part of Spain. “The Department of State is arranging a repatriation flight to support the safe return of American passengers on this ship,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The State Department said it was coordinating with the Spanish government as well as other US federal agencies. “We are in direct communication with Americans on board and are prepared to provide consular assistance as soon as the ship arrives in Tenerife, Spain,” the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity. The ship operator earlier said that 17 Americans were on board. The State Department did not immediately give a number of US passengers.
Three passengers from the MV Hondius — a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman — have died, while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents. The only Hantavirus strain that can transmit from person to person — Andes virus — has been confirmed among those who have tested positive, fueling international concern.
The ship is due in Tenerife on Sunday.
The flight will then take the American cruise passengers to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, and then on to a national quarantine facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
