标签： Oceania

A polar expedition cruise ship, the MV Hondius, remains anchored off the coast of Cape Verde’s capital Praia this week, after the West African island nation barred the vessel from docking over a suspected hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives. All 149 passengers and crew, representing 23 nationalities including citizens of Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, are now under strict isolation aboard the ship as public health authorities across the globe coordinate a response.

The outbreak unfolded as the vessel completed a journey from Ushuaia, Argentina, bound for Cape Verde. Operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed in a statement Monday that two fatalities occurred on board the ship, while a third death was recorded after a passenger disembarked prior to the vessel reaching Cape Verde’s waters. One confirmed hantavirus case is currently receiving intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, and two additional people on the MV Hondius remain in need of urgent medical attention.

Hantavirus, a rare pathogen most often transmitted to humans from exposure to rodent excrement, has been formally confirmed in the patient treated in Johannesburg. However, Oceanwide Expeditions emphasized that investigators have not yet formally linked the three deaths to the virus, and no confirmation of hantavirus has been returned for the two symptomatic people still aboard the ship. “The exact cause and any possible connection are under investigation,” the company added.

Cape Verdean public health officials defended the decision to bar the ship from entering port, framing the move as a critical measure to protect the local population. Maria da Luz Lima, president of the country’s National Institute of Public Health, told public broadcaster RTC Sunday that the vessel would remain anchored offshore with no contact between passengers and the Cape Verdean public.

Despite the outbreak and fatalities, the World Health Organization (WHO) has moved to reassure the global public that the broader population risk remains low. “There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said in a public statement, noting that hantavirus infections are uncommon and almost always tied to contact with infected rodents. The agency added that while rare, person-to-person transmission is possible, and infections can lead to severe respiratory illness that requires close monitoring.

The UN health agency says it is acting with urgency to support the response effort, collaborating with all involved governments to coordinate medical care, evacuations, on-board investigations and public health risk assessments.

International authorities are now working to identify a new port of disembarkation to allow for full medical screening and care. The Canary Islands, a Spanish territory off the coast of Northwest Africa, is currently the leading candidate for the disembarkation. Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a coordinated effort to repatriate two symptomatic passengers to the Netherlands for treatment, though the operation is still pending approval from Cape Verdean local officials.

Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed to AFP that it is actively exploring options for medical evacuation of the affected passengers, and will coordinate the full operation if it receives approval. Local doctors have already boarded the vessel to assess the health of the two symptomatic crew members, but Cape Verde has not granted permission to evacuate them to onshore medical facilities.

New Zealand-based dairy giant The A2 Milk Company, owner of one of Australia’s most beloved milk brands, has initiated a voluntary recall of three specific batches of its A2 Platinum infant formula from the United States market after testing confirmed the presence of cereulide, a powerful bacterial toxin.

The recalled products were distributed exclusively to U.S. consumers through three sales channels: the company’s official website, major e-commerce platform Amazon, and regional retail chain Meijer. In total, approximately 16,428 units of the affected formula were sold to customers across the country.

Cereulide, the toxin identified in the recalled batches, triggers acute gastrointestinal symptoms that typically onset between 30 minutes and six hours after consumption. The most common reactions include nausea and repeated vomiting. While most healthy adults experience mild, self-resolving symptoms within a short period, infants face elevated risks due to their underdeveloped immune systems. The toxin can lead to dangerous rapid dehydration in young children, so healthcare providers urge caregivers to seek immediate medical attention if an infant displays any adverse symptoms after consuming the affected product.

The company confirmed that, as of the recall announcement, it has not received any reports of illness, injury, or adverse health events linked to the affected batches. A2 Milk managing director and chief executive officer David Bortolussi moved quickly to reassure consumers that the recall is an isolated incident limited solely to the U.S. market. Bortolussi emphasized that all A2 Milk products sold in other regions, including the company’s key Australian domestic market, remain completely unaffected and safe for consumption.

Full details of the recalled batches are as follows: batch number 2210269454 with a use-by date of July 15, 2026; batch number 2210324609 with a use-by date of January 21, 2027; and batch number 2210321712 with a use-by date of January 15, 2027. The company is advising all customers who have purchased any of these batches to immediately stop using the product, dispose of it safely, or return it to the original point of purchase for a refund.

Shortly after the recall was made public, the company’s shares dropped sharply on the Australian Securities Exchange. The Auckland-based firm’s stock closed down 12% from its opening price, falling from AU$7.27 to AU$6.49 in the wake of the announcement, reflecting investor concern over potential reputational and financial impacts from the incident.

Three deaths linked to a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard an expedition cruise ship have triggered an international public health response, with the World Health Organization’s European branch moving quickly to calm public fears on Monday, confirming the broader population faces only minimal risk of transmission. The incident has also spurred Dutch authorities to launch coordinated planning for the medical repatriation of two currently ill passengers still aboard the vessel.\n\nHans Kluge, WHO Europe’s regional director, emphasized in an official statement that there is no justification for widespread panic or the imposition of travel bans related to the event. He noted that hantavirus infections are rare in human populations, and most cases stem from direct exposure to excrement, urine, or saliva of virus-carrying rodents, rather than widespread community spread.\n\nThis is the first public confirmation from the ship’s operator, Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions, regarding the three fatalities aboard the MV Hondius, which was sailing on an itinerary from Ushuaia, Argentina, to a stopover in Cape Verde, an island nation off West Africa’s Atlantic coast. Of the three people who died, two passed away while the vessel was still underway, and the third died shortly after disembarking. Currently, one passenger is receiving intensive care for the virus in a Johannesburg hospital, while two other passengers on board remain in need of urgent medical attention.\n\nOceanwide Expeditions confirmed that Dutch authorities have taken the lead on a multinational effort to repatriate the two symptomatic passengers from Cape Verde to the Netherlands for treatment. The evacuation is still pending, however, as it requires formal approval from Cape Verdean local health and government officials, a process that remains ongoing as of Monday.\n\nAn Agence France-Presse photographer on the ground in Cape Verde confirmed the MV Hondius remained anchored in the port of Praia, the nation’s capital, as of Monday morning. A spokesperson for the Dutch foreign ministry told AFP that the government is actively evaluating all options to medically evacuate the small group of ill passengers from the vessel, and will take over full coordination of the operation once it is approved.\n\nLocal medical teams have already boarded the ship to assess the condition of the two symptomatic passengers, but Cape Verdean officials have not yet granted permission to move the patients to onshore medical facilities. In a statement, Oceanwide Expeditions noted that full disembarkation and universal medical screening for all passengers and crew require close alignment with local public health protocols, and the operator remains in constant communication with Cape Verdean authorities to advance the process.\n\nThe WHO said it has prioritized support for the response to the hantavirus incident, calling the three deaths a tragic loss of life. “WHO Europe is working closely with all affected countries to provide support for patient care, evacuation coordination, on-the-ground epidemiological investigation, and ongoing public health risk assessment,” the agency said.\n\nTo date, hantavirus has only been officially confirmed in the passenger receiving treatment in Johannesburg. Operator officials stressed that it has not yet been definitively proven that the virus caused the three deaths, nor has the virus been confirmed in the two symptomatic passengers still aboard the MV Hondius. “The exact cause of the fatalities and any potential connection to the suspected outbreak are still under active investigation,” the company said.\n\nAs of Sunday, WHO officials confirmed one laboratory-confirmed hantavirus case and five additional suspected cases linked to the voyage. While human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare, the UN health agency noted that it is possible, and the virus can cause life-threatening respiratory illness that requires constant close monitoring and urgent supportive care.

A serious public health incident is unfolding on a cruise ship anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, where three people have already died amid a suspected hantavirus outbreak, and Dutch authorities are set to lead a coordinated mission to repatriate two acutely ill passengers still on board, the vessel’s operator has confirmed.

In its first official public statement addressing the crisis, Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, acknowledged the unfolding “serious medical situation” on the vessel. The ship was mid-voyage, traveling north from Ushuaia, Argentina toward Cape Verde when the outbreak began.

The operator has verified three fatalities connected to the incident: two deaths occurred on board the ship, while a third victim died after disembarking earlier for emergency care. One passenger is already receiving intensive care treatment in a Johannesburg hospital, where hantavirus has been confirmed in their case. Two remaining symptomatic passengers on the MV Hondius now require urgent, advanced medical intervention that cannot be adequately provided on the vessel.

Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that Dutch authorities have committed to leading a joint international effort to medically evacuate and repatriate the two symptomatic people from the ship’s current position off Cape Verde to medical facilities in the Netherlands. The evacuation and repatriation effort remains contingent on multiple key approvals, most notably formal authorization from local Cape Verdean authorities, which has not yet been granted. While local medical practitioners have already boarded the vessel to evaluate the health status of the two passengers, permission to move them to onshore medical facilities in Cape Verde is still pending.

A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the department is actively assessing all logistical and regulatory options to carry out the medical evacuation of the affected passengers. “If this can take place, the ministry of foreign affairs will coordinate it,” the spokesperson said.

Oceanwide Expeditions added that it remains in constant close communication with Cape Verdean health authorities to coordinate plans for full disembarkation and universal medical screening of all passengers and crew once local approval is secured.

Though hantavirus has been confirmed in the Johannesburg patient, operators emphasize that it has not yet been definitively linked to the three recorded deaths, and neither has hantavirus been confirmed in the two symptomatic patients still on the ship. “The exact cause and any possible connection are under investigation,” the company said.

The World Health Organization released an update on the incident Sunday, confirming one laboratory-positive case of hantavirus and five additional suspected cases. The U.N. health agency noted that while hantavirus infections in humans are rare, human-to-human transmission is possible, and the pathogen can cause life-threatening severe respiratory illness that requires constant specialized monitoring and supportive care.

Hantavirus is most commonly transmitted to humans from contact with rodent excreta, according to global public health data.