Evacuations begin from MV Hondius ship after hantavirus outbreak
Global health authorities are working to contain an outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.
The total number of confirmed cases associated with the outbreak is increasing, health officials said. To date, three people who were aboard the ship are known to have died of the virus.
More than 100 passengers remain on the ship, including 17 Americans, and the World Health Organization is monitoring their health. Officials said that the "overall public health risk remains low" but that there may be some person-to-person spread.
Health officials in multiple states say they're monitoring some passengers who have returned to the U.S. after being aboard the ship for potential hantavirus infections.
Passengers onboard the MV Hondius began disembarking in small groups on Sunday morning, heading for the shore in Tenerife, where they were expected to continue on to charter flights back to their home countries.
Spain’s health minister, Monica Garcia, who was at the port in the Canary Islands on Sunday, said the remaining passengers were all thought to be asymptomatic.
"The entire operation is proceeding normally and I said the first to disembark will be the Spanish citizens, and then the flight to the Netherlands will depart," Garcia said prior to the passengers' beginning of their departures from the ship.
Flights were planned for passengers who were headed to Canada, Turkey, France, Great Britain, Ireland and the United States, she said.
"The Netherlands will send two planes: today's plane and another one tomorrow, which we'll call a 'sweeper plane,' to pick up any passengers not picked up by the other countries," she said. "But in principle, well, throughout today and tomorrow, all the planes of all nationalities will be disembarked and taken back to their respective countries."
-ABC News' Rashid Haddou and Maggie Rulli
MV Hondius arrives off the coast of Tenerife
The MV Hondius arrived early on Sunday off the coast of Tenerife, dropping anchor near the industrial port of Granadilla at about 5:30 a.m. local time.
Evacuations from the ship were expected to began as soon as possible.
The local government in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the northwestern African coast, said it would like everyone off the boat and out of the Canary Islands by today.
They also said they want the boat to depart by end of day.
This is a developing story. Follow live updates here.
What is hantavirus and how does it spread?
Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.
How does hantavirus spread?
Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype from South America, according to the WHO.
Read more about hantavirus here.
