GENEVA: The captain of the cruise ship which was hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak was finally due to leave the vessel on Saturday, the WHO chief said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, has been in regular contact with captain Jan Dobrogowski, throughout the ordeal on the MV Hondius.
The Dutch-flagged ship set off April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina, taking in remote islands in the South Atlantic Ocean before heading north to Cape Verde, then Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, where remaining passengers were evacuated.
The polar exploration ship docked in Rotterdam harbour in the Netherlands on Monday, with the skeleton crew facing weeks of quarantine.
"Just received the last message from captain Jan Dobrogowski, who is finally leaving the MV Hondius cruise ship today. He remains without hantavirus symptoms," Tedros said on X.
He said that, so far, 12 suspected and confirmed cases have been reported to the WHO, including three deaths, adding that no deaths had been reported since May 2.
"All the passengers and crew are now in quarantine with close monitoring to receive care if need be," said Tedros.
"I'm deeply grateful for Jan’s cooperation and leadership as he navigated the ship through an extraordinary and scary journey. Thank you, dear Jan, for steering your passengers towards safety."
A crew member who disembarked in Tenerife and was repatriated to the Netherlands was confirmed Friday as a new hantavirus case.
The crew member had been in home quarantine and was transferred to hospital after the Andes virus was detected, said the RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment).
The Andes variant is the only strain of hantavirus known to be able to jump from human to human, via very close contact.
Everyone evacuated from the ship to the Netherlands is being tested every week. The positive test was confirmed by two separate laboratories, the RIVM said.
Tedros told a press conference on Friday that more than 600 contacts were being followed in 30 countries, while a small number of high-risk contacts were still being located.
Spread by rodents, hantavirus is a rare virus for which no vaccines or specific treatments exist.
