Turkish Ministry of Health has reported in recent hours that the last three Turkish passengers transferred from the international cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing from Ushuaia (Argentina) to Cape Verde, have tested negative for hantavirus after being evacuated by air ambulance to Turkey from the Canary Islands, where the ship arrived on Sunday and anchored in the port of Granadilla.
In a statement whose details were released by the Turkish news agency Anatolia, the ministry noted that the three Turkish citizens aboard the cruise ship were transferred from the Canary Islands by air and remain under strict surveillance and isolation. It also indicated that — as was the case with the two people who had previously entered the country after having had contact with those infected on the Hondius — the necessary samples have been taken to conduct the corresponding tests and determine whether they are carriers of the virus.
“The results of the tests conducted on the three citizens were negative, and they will remain in quarantine for the recommended period,” the statement said, adding that teams from the Ministry of Health continue to constantly evaluate the clinical condition of the repatriated patients and closely monitor the evolution of their health status.
“So far, no clinical signs or symptoms have been observed in any of the five people under observation. Our ministry is closely and meticulously monitoring the situation,” concluded the official statement released by the Turkish government.
The Turkish Ministry of Health announced on Friday that, so far, no cases of hantavirus have been detected in the country following the public alarm triggered by the infections and deaths recorded aboard the MV Hondius, which arrived yesterday in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to disembark all passengers under strict security measures. For now, the WHO continues to classify the current risk that the Andes virus — the variant contracted on the ship and the only hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission — will cause a new pandemic as “low,” although genomic sequencing studies are ongoing to determine whether this specific variant detected on the cruise ship may be more contagious and not require close contact for transmission.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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