“We’re not just a story. We’re not just headlines, we’re people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home,” said a tearful Jake Rosmarin. For the American travel vlogger on board the luxury cruise liner MV Hondius in the Atlantic ocean, a dream voyage has taken a deadly turn.
He is among around 150 people from 23 countries on the vessel stranded near Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa. Three confirmed and five suspected cases of hantavirus – a rare but severe disease usually spread by rodents – have since been identified. Three passengers on the ship have died and several more are either ill or displaying symptoms after the MV Hondius set sail from Argentina around a month ago.
Health authorities are now racing to test samples from passengers and theWorld Health Organization (WHO) said it has possibly spreadamong those on board. Spain had said the ship could sail to the islands, where those on board would be treated and repatriated after Cape Verdean officials declined to grant clearance earlier this week, leaving the vessel anchored nearby. However, WHO said on Wednesday that three suspected hantavirus patients were evacuated from the MV Hondius and are on their way to the Netherlands for medical care.
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Also on Wednesday, Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo pushed back against the Spanish government’s decision to allow the Dutch MV Hondius vessel to dock in the islands. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and that is the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home,” Rosmarin told his followers on TikTok on Monday.
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