British man among three patients evacuated from hantavirus-stricken cruise ship

• Three patients, including a 56-year-old British man, have been medically evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship for specialist treatment in Europe.
• Eight suspected cases of hantavirus, resulting in three deaths, have been linked to the Dutch-flagged vessel, which is currently sitting off the coast of Cape Verde.
• South African health authorities confirmed two passengers tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus, which is known to be transmittable between humans.
• The ship was blocked from docking in Tenerife by the Canary Islands leader due to public safety concerns.
• Global health authorities acknowledge potential human-to-human transmission on board but maintain the overall risk to global health is low.