<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Another country has been drawn into a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/hantavirus-three-dead-after-suspected-outbreak-on-atlantic-ocean-ship-mv-hondius/ee7676a6-040e-4eb6-8fc9-30279814d78d" rel="" target="" title="deadly hantavirus"><span>deadly hantavirus</span></a><span> outbreak </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/hantavirus-outbreak-update-mv-hondius-passengers-reveal-what-its-like-inside-cruise-ships-virus-purgatory/0ba23880-1210-4d8a-bce2-2376caf913a5" rel="" target="" title="onboard a luxury cruise ship"><span>onboard a luxury cruise ship</span></a><span>, as the leader of the Spanish Canary Islands says he does not want the vessel to dock on the archipelago.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Swiss government confirmed one patient was being treated for hantavirus in hospital after returning to Switzerland from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which is in the midst of a deadly outbreak of the rodent-borne disease.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The man had returned from a trip to South America with his wife at the end of April," the government said in a statement.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/desperate-search-for-man-who-was-trapped-inside-sinking-car/a500bfc1-1d2c-4506-850e-b0034f411fda" target="_blank"><strong><span>Tragic outcome after man trapped inside sinking car</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Having noticed symptoms, he telephoned his GP and went to the University Hospital Zurich for further assessment."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The man was "immediately placed in isolation" in hospital, before lab tests revealed a positive test for the American strained hantavirus variant.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The man's wife, who accompanied him on the cruise, is not showing any symptoms of the virus but is self-isolating as a precaution.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/hantavirus-mv-hondius-new-country-drawn-into-deadly-cruise-ship-virus-outbreak/a728830a-81b8-47c3-873b-12db77dee7dc" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Swiss health department said the risk of hantavirus to the public in Switzerland was low.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Unlike the European hantaviruses, which are transmitted through excretions of infected rodents, for the American hantavirus variant, person-to-person transmission has also been documented in rare cases," the department wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"However, transmission only occurs through close contact. The FOPH therefore considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The FOPH therefore considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In addition to the Swiss patient, two laboratory-confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases have been identified from the ship cluster, according to the World Health Organisation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That includes three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/craig-silvey-australian-author-to-have-book-permanently-pulled-from-public-schools/b109da34-d317-455b-8906-4b6d17b4d018" target="_blank"><strong><span>Aussie children's</span></strong></a><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/craig-silvey-australian-author-to-have-book-permanently-pulled-from-public-schools/b109da34-d317-455b-8906-4b6d17b4d018" target="_blank"><strong><span>author's books pulled from schools after guilty plea</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The development comes as the leader of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, publicly rejected the Spanish government's call to allow the MV Hondius to dock in the islands.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The luxury cruise ship has been suspended in waters off Cape Verde on the African coast, which was meant to be the ship's final destination, since May 3.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Spanish Health Ministry said it had been asked by the World Health Organisation and the European Union to take MV Hondius "in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles", according to the </span><em><span>Sydney Morning Herald</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But, speaking to radio station COPE, Clavijo said he could not allow the vessel to enter the Canaries.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This decision ​is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the ​public or guarantee their safety," ​Clavijo told radio station COPE, according to Reuters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Clavijo said he had requested an urgent meeting with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to discuss the issue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Earlier today, Spanish state broadcaster TVE said the infected cruise ship was heading towards Europe and expected to dock in Tenerife in the next few days, citing sources from the country's ⁠health ​ministry.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Monday, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed four Australians were among 88 passengers and 68 crew aboard the ship.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>