International health authorities are tightening containment measures as more passengers and crew from the MV Hondius leave the virus-hit cruise ship. Seventeen Filipino crew members arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday to begin quarantine after being evacuated from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Dutch authorities required medical testing upon arrival before transferring the crew to designated quarantine facilities. The latest evacuation came as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed additional hantavirus infections linked to the vessel.
The Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands said the group formed the second batch of Filipino crew evacuated from the ship. Four Filipino crew members earlier arrived on May 10 and also entered quarantine.
Another 17 Filipino crew members remain aboard the MV Hondius and are expected to arrive in Rotterdam on May 18. Authorities said all 38 Filipino crew members will undergo quarantine before eventual repatriation to the Philippines.
“Wino-workout naman din ang kanilang safe repatriation, but we just need to be a little more patient as this is a global concern,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, on efforts to bring home the Filipino crew after quarantine and medical clearances.
Meanwhile, WHO linked at least nine confirmed hantavirus cases and two suspected infections to the outbreak aboard the ship. Three passengers have died since the vessel departed Argentina in April and traveled through Antarctica and several Atlantic islands.
Health experts said hantaviruses usually spread through rodents, although WHO warned that human-to-human transmission remains possible for the Andes strain connected to the outbreak. Reports also said authorities may require up to 42 days of quarantine before the Filipino crew can return home.
