Il Nuovo Postiglione - Passengers isolating on cruise after Cape Verde ban over suspected virus deaths

The island nation's denial to disembark came even as WHO Europe said the risk to the wider public remained low.

People from Spain, Britain and the United States are among 23 nationalities of the 149 people aboard the MV Hondius.

They are under "strict precautionary measures" on the ship, its operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement, including isolation, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring.

The company has confirmed three deaths among those on board the cruise, which was travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa.

Two died on board and one after disembarking the ship. One passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg and two others "require urgent medical care", the statement said.

Hantavirus, an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents, has been confirmed in the passenger currently in intensive care in Johannesburg, the operator said.

However, it has not yet been established whether the virus caused the three deaths, said Oceanwide Expeditions.

The president of Cape Verde's National Institute of Public Health (INSP) said that the ship "was not granted authorisation to dock at the port of Praia" off which it is anchored, in an interview with RTC public broadcaster late Sunday.

The move was meant "to protect the Cape Verdean population," Maria da Luz Lima declared, adding that "there would be no contact between the passengers and the country".

Spain's Canary Islands are under consideration for disembarkation, "where further medical screening and handling could take place", the operator said.

Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius to the Netherlands, the Oceanwide Expeditions operator said.

Such a repatriation would depend on several factors, including authorisation from local officials in Cape Verde, it added.

In a statement sent to AFP, the Dutch foreign ministry said it was "busy looking at the possibilities to medically evacuate a few people from the ship".

"If this can take place, the ministry of foreign affairs will coordinate it," said a spokesperson.

- 'Acting with urgency' -

While local doctors have visited to assess the medical condition of the two sick crew, no permission was given to evacuate them to shore.

Despite the concern, "risk to the wider public remains low", the World Health Organization's director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement, adding that "there is no need for panic or travel restrictions".

He added that hantavirus infections were "uncommon and usually linked to exposure to infected rodents".

The WHO said it was "acting with urgency to support the response to the hantavirus event on board a cruise vessel in the Atlantic, following the tragic loss of life".

"WHO Europe is working with the countries involved to support medical care, evacuation, investigations and public health risk assessment."

There has been no confirmation of hantavirus in the two symptomatic people still requiring attention on the ship.

"The exact cause and any possible connection are under investigation," said the ship's operator.

On Sunday, the WHO said one case of hantavirus had been confirmed and that there were "five additional suspected cases".

"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," the United Nations health agency said.

burs-cbw-bfm/kjm

H.Zampino--INP