Two evacuation flights with hantavirus patients have left Cape Verde and are headed for the Netherlands, a Dutch foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday (May 6).

Leiden University Hospital said on Wednesday morning that they were preparing to receive a patient from the Hondius.

Three people, two of them seriously ill, were evacuated on Wednesday from the luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and marooned for days off the coast of Cape Verde, the World Health Organisation said.

The MV Hondius, which has nearly 150 people on board, is expected to head next to Spain's Canary Islands, ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. Three people have so far died in the outbreak.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS (MAY 6, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS OF LEIDEN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER (LUMC)

LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS (MAY 6, 2026) (NOS - No use Netherlands)

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION PREVENTION AT LEIDEN UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (LUCID), DR ANN VOSSEN, SAYING:

"And then, of course, we'll listen to the patient's story, carry out a physical examination and assess the patient's general condition. Because that's actually where we start."

3. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF LUMC

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION PREVENTION AT LEIDEN UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (LUCID), DR ANN VOSSEN, SAYING:

"And one of the first steps would then be to try to confirm that this patient has the virus. Everyone who does this, who admits this patient, has been trained. And we also do drills every now and then, so that when a patient arrives, they know exactly what to do."

LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS (MAY 6, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

5. VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS OF LUMC