A BRITISH doctor on board the cruise ship MV Hondius is being flown to the Netherlands instead of Spain after his condition improved, health authorities have confirmed.
The infected man had originally been due to be evacuated to Tenerife, with preparations in place to transfer him to a hospital in the Canary Islands.
At one point, there were even suggestions he could be transferred to Madrid as authorities weighed up options.
However, Spain’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Wednesday morning that after signs of improvement in his condition, the decision was taken to fly him directly to the Netherlands instead.
“The ship’s doctor, whose evacuation to the Canary Islands was initially planned, will also be transferred to the Netherlands following the improvement in his health condition,” the ministry said in a statement.
Among those being evacuated are the doctor, two sick crew members and one person without symptoms, who had been in a relationship with a German passenger who died.
They were transferred from the ship to a specialised aircraft in Cape Verde, at the port of the capital Praia, before being taken by ambulance to the nearby airport.
The medical planes transporting the infected patients have already left Cape Verde for the Netherlands.
Dutch authorities had previously agreed to repatriate the group using specialised medical planes.
The doctor is among several people infected in a hantavirus outbreak on board of the ship, with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming at least eight cases among the passengers.
Click here to read more Health News from The Olive Press.
