German woman on hantavirus-hit ship to be tested at German hospital
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Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, in this screengrab obtained from a video, May 4, 2026. REUTERS TV via REUTERS/File Photo
May 6 - A German national who was onboard a luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus will be brought to a hospital in the German city of Duesseldorf for testing, a hospital spokesperson said on Wednesday, adding that the person showed no symptoms.
The person, who had contact with an infected person, will be transported from a Dutch airport to Duesseldorf by a high-risk patient transport unit from the city's fire brigade, said the spokesperson in a statement.
Preliminary medical and infectious examinations will take place in the infectious disease ward, and further virological laboratory tests are also planned, said the spokesperson.
The person should be transferred to her home in Germany shortly thereafter, it added.
According to Bild newspaper, which first reported on the transport plans, the female passenger had had contact with another German woman who died on board the ship.
A planned transfer of three passengers from the cruise ship to specialized aircraft was scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning, Cape Verde time, ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said earlier.
A Dutch couple have also died since the outbreak manifested in early April, while a British national was evacuated from the ship and is in intensive care in South Africa. REUTERS
