Cape Verde denies docking to hantavirus-hit cruise ship as WHO confirms seven cases

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Cape Verde's authorities refused to allow a cruise ship with cases of hantavirus onboard to dock due to health concerns. The decision comes amid confirmed cases and fatalities linked to the outbreak, leaving passengers in prolonged isolation.

Cape Verde's health authorities on Monday denied permission to dock at the port of Praia to polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed seven cases of hantavirus — two of them laboratory-verified — and three deaths linked to the voyage. The decision leaves the nearly 150 people remaining on board in prolonged isolation in Atlantic waters, while medical evacuations are coordinated for patients in the most serious condition and authorities evaluate the possibility of continuing the journey toward the Canary Islands, on Spanish territory.