Three passengers have died so far, including a Dutch couple who had been travelling in South America and are believed to have brought the infection on board after catching it during a birdwatching trip. The third fatality was a German passenger.
The World Health Organisation said yesterday that there had been five confirmed cases of hantavirus on the cruise ship, including two of the people evacuated.
Anstee was flown off the ship with a Dutch colleague, 41, who was the ship’s doctor, and a 65-year-old German passenger.
Anstee’s wife, Nicola, said he appeared to be on the mend after “a very traumatic few days”.
“The fear with this virus is it can deteriorate very quickly, so it’s been a bit up and down for him. I don’t believe he’s in imminent danger now, but it was horrible.
“The family are relieved that he’s off the Hondius and on his way for treatment in Holland in a specialised unit. It’s quite important with this virus they get early medical care.
“We’re just glad the authorities managed to get to Cape Verde to evacuate them, so it’s just relief at the moment.”
Anstee, who first heard on Sunday that her husband was ill, said she had texted him yesterday before he was evacuated.
“He’s relieved to be off the ship. He had it quite mild, then it got a bit more serious, and now he’s stable again.”
Anstee was one of several expedition crew members on the Atlantic Odyssey voyage, which left from Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, on April 1.
He helped to guide passengers around some of the remote islands where the boat stopped, including South Georgia, Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena.
While exploring the Tristan da Cunha group, he photographed rare birds including the Wilkins’ finch, the Inaccessible Island rail and the Nightingale Island finch.
His photos were later posted on the Oceanwide Expeditions Facebook page.
Before the voyage, he had posted on Facebook that the cruise was “one of the most fascinating trips you can be involved in”.
Anstee, who lives on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, about 90km northwest of London, served as a police officer in the Bedfordshire and Essex forces for 33 years.
He and his wife, also a former Bedfordshire Police officer, moved to the Falkland Islands in 2019, where he continued to work as a police officer. Through contacts he made on the islands, he began working for Oceanwide Expeditions.
His wife said she hoped he husband could return to work once he had recovered.
“He loves his job. It’s just a freak thing, isn’t it? I feel sorry for the company. It’s a really, really good company to work for. They’ve been in touch with the family and kept us informed.
“It’s a shame because he’s very passionate about this role, and I just hope he recovers and can go back to it. He really enjoys it.”
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