38 Filipino cruise ship crew must be cleared first before return – DMW

MANILA, Philippines — The 38 Filipino crew members aboard the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius who have expressed intent to return home must first undergo proper medical procedures before being repatriated, according to Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac.

Cacdac said all Filipino crew members on the cruise ship remain uninfected with hantavirus and are in good condition. He added that the vessel had been permitted to dock as it neared the Canary Islands in Spain.

“They want to get out of that ship and go home. That is our goal,” Cacdac said in a press conference on Thursday.

READ: DMW: Hantavirus-hit ship to dock; 38 Filipino crew uninfected

“We need to give the proper medical authorities and processes, clearances and protocols time to take shape as well as to be implemented,” Cacdac added. 

Cacdac noted that they need to follow protocols in the same manner that the countries where other nationalities are involved are also observing proper health measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

In a statement on Monday, the World Health Organization said that two confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases were recorded aboard the cruise ship. It added that three passengers died, while another was brought to a hospital for their critical condition. 

Cacdac said that the agency keeps its close coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), the crew members’ manning agency, and the ship owner. He also said that they have reached out to their families to extend support. 

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Meanwhile, when asked how the crew members were medically assessed, Cacdac said they don’t yet have the necessary details. He said that the details will be uncovered in the following days as he coordinates with Health secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

“I’m sure there’s medical support to the statement that they had not been afflicted. But we have been assured by the manning agency and the ship owner, who would be the best to know what goes on on board, that our 38 Filipinos have not been afflicted,” he said. 

Last Tuesday, DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said that there were no recent cases of hantavirus in the country. He noted that it is a rare disease that can be contracted through contact with urine or feces of infected rats. /dl