One of the 17 Americans being repatriated from a hantavirus-struck luxury cruise ship has tested mildly positive for the Andes strain of the virus, while a second has mild symptoms.
The US Department of Health and Human Services said all US citizens are being airlifted to the United States, and the two passengers with symptoms are travelling in the plane's biocontainment units. The second symptomatic passenger has not yet been confirmed as having the virus.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia announced that a total of 94 passengers and crew members have been evacuated from the stricken cruise ship MV Hondius following the outbreak of the deadly virus.
The minister said people from 19 countries had departed from the ship anchored near Tenerife aboard eight private aircraft.
Passenger transfer operations are scheduled to continue on Monday, with one aircraft arriving from the Netherlands and another from Australia. The Dutch aircraft will transport six passengers, while the Australian plane will carry 18 affected individuals.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses usually spread by rodents, but in rare cases they can be transmitted from person to person. Health authorities have said the risk of the viruses spreading is low.
Eight people no longer on the MV Hondius have fallen ill, according to a World Health Organisation update, with six of them confirmed to have contracted the virus. A Dutch couple and a German national have died.
The Andes strain of hantavirus, identified in the shipboard outbreak, can cause severe lung illness that is fatal in up to 50% of cases, according to the WHO.
World Health Organisation (WHO) said its goal was to finish the ship's evacuation, except for 30 crew members who would remain on board, by 7pm local time on Monday.
Passengers were told to leave their luggage on the ship and were allowed to take only a small bag with essential items such as their phone and passport.
