MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities are preparing to receive a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands.Health officials plan careful evacuations of the more than 140 passengers and crew when the MV Hondius arrives in Tenerife this weekend.At least three passengers have died, and several others are sick. None of the remaining passengers or crew is currently symptomatic.The U.S. and the U.K. are arranging flights to repatriate their citizens. The World Health Organization says the risk to the wider public is low. Health authorities are tracking passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was detected.AdvertisementAdvertisementHere’s the latest:A lot of unknowns about the illness and treatmentThere is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.Despite years of research, many questions have yet to be answered, including why hantavirus infection can be mild for some people and severe for others and how antibodies are developed. Some researchers have been following patients over long periods of time in hopes of finding a treatment.“In the Americas, hantavirus infection is very serious, but it’s also quite rare,” said Steven Bradfute, an associate professor and associate director of the Center for Global Health at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which specializes in hantavirus research.AdvertisementAdvertisement“And so for a time that probably led to less research into it because of funding priorities, but I know there’s been a l …
