Irish passengers on hantavirus-hit ship 'safe and well'

Two Irish people on board a virus-hit cruise ship are "safe and well", the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said.

Three people in total have died linked to an outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius.

The outbreak has been connected to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina, which two of the passengers went on before boarding the ship.

Speaking in Co Armagh, Helen McEntee said: "In terms of the two Irish passengers, I am pleased to say that they are safe and well."

She said her team has been "engaging directly with them" and also with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to see what measures "would need to be taken when they do get home".

She added: "But obviously the priority is to make sure that they can get home as quickly as possible, and we're working with them and engaging with them."

It is a "very difficult situation" for the families of those who have died, Ms McEntee said, "and for all of those on board".

The Department of Foreign Affairs said earlier this week that it was aware of two Irish citizens on board the vessel and is providing consular assistance.

The boat left Cape Verde on Wednesday and is expected to arrive at a port in Tenerife in the early hours of Sunday, but this is subject to change.

Experts believe the incubation period for the virus in the human body can extend to six weeks.

Passengers on the ship will start being flown to their countries of origin after the vessel arrives in the Canary Islands.

Spanish authorities confirmed earlier that a woman ⁠in Alicante has symptoms consistent with a hantavirus infection.

The suspected case involves ‌a woman who was ⁠a ‌passenger on the same flight as ⁠a ‌patient who died in Johannesburg after travelling on ⁠the MV Hondius ⁠cruise ship and contracting the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is not expecting the outbreak to be an epidemic.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said the plan being developed for the Irish citizens on the MV Hondius is to ensure that they are "safely repatriated back into the country".

Mr Canney told RTÉ's Drivetime that their care on arrival back to Ireland is being planned and that is in accordance with the WHO and the ECDC public health guidance.

"It's important to say that the national incident management team of the HSE have been stood up to coordinate a public health response to this particular outbreak," he said.

"We have to be very vigilant in seeing what's going on and making sure that we have the necessary care in place and also to look and see what precautions need to be taken if any.

"But I presume that the HSE, the national incident management team, are working on that and have been working on that with the Minister for Health and will continue to do that."

Ireland has capacity to manage return of nationals from ship, says professor

Consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Professor Sam McConkey said he believes Ireland has the capacity to welcome the Irish nationals on the MV Hondius back to Ireland and to manage them appropriately.

"We've very much strengthened public health service in Ireland since Covid and giving them good advice to stay inside.

"They need someone to feed them, someone to water them and not to be in close contact with other humans," Professor McConkey told RTÉ's Drivetime.

"And then they need to be monitored probably for at least six and possibly eight weeks, probably telephone calls a couple of times a day.

"And then if they show symptoms, there are facilities for hospitalisation in a safe way and for diagnostics.

"So I would reassure people that this is not something that I believe is going to affect the world in a global way."