Flight Attendant Hospitalised As Cruise Ship Hantavirus Fallout Grows

The woman is showing light symptoms and has been isolated from other patients at the hospital, where she is being tested for hantavirus, the ministry said.AMSTERDAM, May 7 (Bernama-dpa) -- A flight attendant who briefly came into contact with a victim of the hantavirus outbreak on the Hondius cruise ship has been admitted to hospital in Amsterdam, the Dutch Health Ministry said on Thursday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Three people have died linked to an outbreak on the Hondius, a small cruise ship with under 150 people on board that set off from southern Argentina in early April. 

The ship was anchored off the shore of Cape Verde for several days as news of the hantavirus outbreak emerged and is currently en route to Spain's Canary Islands off the West African coast.

A German woman and a Dutch man died aboard the ship, while the man's 69-year-old wife left the ship after falling ill and attempted to return to the Netherlands before she passed away in hospital in South Africa.

She boarded a KLM flight in Johannesburg on April 25, but was removed from the flight ahead of departure due to her bad state of health, according to the airline.

She passed away a day later in hospital in Johannesburg.

The flight attendant was on board the flight that travelled on to the Amsterdam after the woman left the aircraft.

Dutch authorities have said they are in contact with all passengers aboard the plane, who are being tested regularly.

Meanwhile, another infected crew member evacuated from the Hondius arrived in Amsterdam on Thursday and was brought to hospital, according to Dutch authorities.

-- BERNAMA-dpa