The United States of America is organizing a special flight for the repatriation of its citizens who are on a Dutch cruise ship affected by the hantavirus epidemic, the US State Department announced.
The statement states that US authorities are monitoring the situation on the ship in the Atlantic Ocean and are in constant contact with the crew, passengers and international health institutions.
A spokesman for the State Department pointed out that the US is ready to provide consular and logistical assistance when the ship docks in Tenerife, Spain.
Infected passengers in multiple locations
According to the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions, there are 17 American citizens on board, while other countries are also involved in the evacuation of their citizens.
The British government also announced the dispatch of a plane to evacuate around 20 of its citizens, after cases of infection among passengers were recorded.
Confirmed and suspected cases
Health services state that the infected passengers tested positive for the Andean variant of hantavirus, which, unlike the usual forms, can also be transmitted from person to person.
While most other strains of this virus are transmitted through contact with rodents, the new variant is raising additional concerns for health authorities.
The British Health Security Agency has also confirmed the suspicion of a third case of infection in a British citizen who is on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha.
Two British nationals have already been hospitalized in the Netherlands and South Africa, while authorities in South Africa are conducting extensive contact tracing of passengers who left the ship earlier.
Special attention is focused on passengers who flew on the route Saint Helena – Johannesburg, the day after disembarking from the cruise ship.
International health institutions continue to monitor the situation, while additional expansion of control and isolation measures is expected.
(Vijesti.ba)
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