Cape Verde Prepares Air Evacuation From Cruise Ship Amid Outbreak

PRAIA, May 5 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Cape Verdean health authorities said on Monday they were preparing an air evacuation of patients from the Dutch cruise ship Hondius, which remains offshore near the port of Praia after a respiratory disease outbreak was detected during its voyage, Xinhua reported.

At a press conference, Cape Verde's National Director of Health Angela Gomes said the vessel had not been authorised to dock as a precautionary measure and in line with the International Health Regulations to protect public health.

According to Gomes, the ship is carrying 147 people, including passengers and crew members, and three of them are showing mild symptoms.

She said they were clinically stable, under continuous medical monitoring on board, and did not require hospital admission for the time being.

She said biological samples had been collected and were being analysed, including in international laboratories, to identify the cause of the outbreak.

The evacuation operation is being coordinated with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, with Cape Verde awaiting the arrival of an air ambulance to transport the patients, Gomes said.

She added that the situation was under control and posed no risk to the population, while the ship would remain under the surveillance of Cape Verdean authorities until the evacuation and investigation processes were completed.

Earlier, Cape Verde's Ministry of Health said the vessel had entered the country's waters on Sunday after international health authorities alerted the country to an outbreak involving severe cases and deaths.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA