The World Health Organization's director-general has warned more hantavirus infections are anticipated following the deadly outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Speaking in Madrid today alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed confidence further positive tests would emerge. "There will probably be more cases," Dr Ghebreyesus stated.
The outbreak has killed three lives so far, a Dutch couple and a German woman, after the vessel embarked on a 35-day Atlantic voyage. The initial passenger became unwell on April 11.
Nine infections have now been confirmed, with two additional suspected cases under investigation.
Despite warning of further cases, the WHO chief sought to calm fears about a wider epidemic. He described the current phase of operations as successful and maintained that the outbreak poses a "low risk" to global health.
The Spanish prime minister hailed the evacuation as "a success of which Spaniards should feel proud" during the joint press conference in the capital.
All 87 passengers and 35 crew members were removed from the vessel while it remained anchored off Tenerife's coast over Sunday and Monday. The ship subsequently departed for Rotterdam on Monday evening.
However, the operation has attracted criticism from regional authorities. Fernando Clavijo, who leads the Canary Islands government, had opposed the cruise ship's arrival at the island.
The WHO have warned the number of Hantavirus cases is set to rise
|GETTY
He accused Madrid of failing to keep infected passengers separate from others during the disembarkation and repatriation process. "This shows we were right to demand PCR testing of the passengers before evacuation," Mr Clavijo said.
Health authorities across the globe are now grappling with an expanding caseload.
In Italy, medical staff are monitoring a 25-year-old man displaying symptoms after he sat beside the deceased Dutch woman on a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam.
She had been forced to leave that aircraft due to severe illness.
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There are nine confirmed cases so far
|GETTY
A French woman who developed a fever during Sunday's repatriation flight is now in a "critical condition" at Bichat hospital in Paris.
Both an American and French national have returned positive tests after travelling home.
Spanish health officials confirmed on Monday one passenger quarantined at a Madrid military hospital had provisionally tested positive.
In the Netherlands, 12 healthcare workers at Radboud University Hospital in Nijmegen face quarantine after failing to follow strict protocols while treating an infected MV Hondius passenger.
The hospital acknowledged only standard protective measures were used during blood collection and urine processing.
AT least 20 British passengers and crew members from the stricken cruise ship commenced a 72-hour isolation period at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral on Sunday evening.
They had been flown from Tenerife to Manchester Airport before being transferred to an accommodation block at the facility.
Two other British nationals with confirmed hantavirus infections are currently receiving medical care abroad — one in the Netherlands and another in South Africa.
The Andes strain responsible for this outbreak is particularly concerning as it represents the only known hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission.
Approximately 40 different hantaviruses have been identified worldwide, with the disease typically spreading through contact with rodent urine, droppings or saliva and potentially causing haemorrhagic fever.
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