Elisabet Jané: "We paid the consequences of a media and political circus"

BarcelonaElisabet Jané (Barcelona, 1951) thought that this spring she was going to take the trip of her life and, in a way, it has ended up being so, but not for what she expected. She is a doctor and a lover of birds; in fact, she defines herself as a birdwatcher. On April 1st, she embarked on a cruise that would take her to see remote islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where species of birds live that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. However, what was supposed to be a unique experience about nature and biodiversity ended up becoming a global public health crisis, spurred on by the specter of the covid-19 pandemic. The hantavirus outbreak detected on board the MV Hondius has closed with 13 positive cases, three of whom have lost their lives, and now Jané reviews how the episode was experienced from inside the ship.

How are you now that the WHO has declared the outbreak over?

— I feel very well, despite the heat in Barcelona. I was very calm the whole time I was on board the ship, perhaps also because I adopted a defensive position to cope better. Now that we have left the Gómez Ulla Hospital, once the quarantine is over, it has been a bit difficult for me to detach myself from this story. So many inaccuracies and barbarities were said by some media and politicians. It not only affected us, those of us on board the ship, but the entire population, because it generated a lot of fear.

How was it experienced from inside the cruise ship?

— When the Dutch doctors arrived, they were surprised at how calm we were. During the Cape Verde days, when they wouldn't let us disembark, there were indeed some outbreaks of panic, but nothing collective. There were people who were very scared and many other people very worried about what was on the news; they thought they might be received with rejection once they disembarked.

Did they have information about what was being said from outside?

— We were aware of everything. I particularly regretted the position of the president of the Canary Islands, who showed a profound ignorance. He said outrageous things, such as that the ship's rats could reach the port by swimming, that we could not disembark because we were a risk to the population and that we were another pandemic like covid. I felt very sorry about that. And, fortunately, the Spanish government, despite making concessions such as not docking the ship in the port, carried out the evacuation. Can you imagine the ridicule Spain would have suffered if we had not been able to disembark and had had to go to the Netherlands? It would have been an international discredit.

Once the confinement is over, have you experienced signs of rejection?

— I think we have been stigmatized, as if to say: "These rich people, let them fend for themselves." When it wasn't a cruise for millionaires, but a scientific outreach trip. I really like watching birds and taking pictures of them; it was a great opportunity because we were going to places where there are species that can only be seen there, like some species of albatrosses, for example those from the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. Going to these places is a unique opportunity. I thought it was the trip of a lifetime. Now, I have not received any rejection for the fact that I could be a source of infection; everyone has been very kind and affectionate towards me.

Looking back, do you think it was a mistake or recklessness to allow the stop and disembarkation on the island of Saint Helena when a fatal victim had already occurred?

— It was planned for people to disembark in Saint Helena. It was reckless because it spread the virus all over the world, but that was not known. There was no reason to detain those people: only one person had died. I am a doctor and at that time I thought the gentleman had a pre-existing condition and died from pneumonia. At that time, the cause of death was not known; inside a ship you have no possibility of doing microbiological studies, there was no reason at that time to think there was an outbreak.

How was the quarantine?

— The day we arrived at Gómez Ulla Hospital, one of the people tested positive. This was a very hard blow for everyone. This person had their cabin very close to the infirmary and I had never been in contact with them, but others had a very bad time worrying if they would test positive. I thought: "Maybe I will develop the illness, but I am in the best place to be looked after." What created quite a bit of uncertainty was that we thought we would be there for a few days, but some autonomous communities pressured them to make the quarantine period as long as possible.

I understand that you do not agree with so many days of confinement.

— This pressure caused us to spend twenty-eight days in the hospital. What would have happened politically if, as was appropriate from a health perspective, they had sent us home like the Netherlands, Germany, or Switzerland did? They kept us in a hospital, spending an impressive amount of public money, thirteen of us with all the comforts in the world, instead of allowing us to be at home and have tests done once a week. We paid the consequences of a media and political circus that I hope will not be repeated because these political tensions, when they affect you, are experienced with a great sense of rage and helplessness.

How do you rate the care received, both at the hospital and before disembarking?

— Fernando Simón wrote to me, we were in contact with Public Health at all times, we held several video conferences, also with professionals from Catalonia. At all times they told me they were working so that we could return home as soon as possible. They have treated us with a very high level of professionalism and empathy; empathy was very much needed, especially for those who were more worried.

Do you think he/she will continue traveling or has this experience held him/her back?

— And so on. Now I'm off to work in Paraguay, and I'm taking the opportunity to go to the Iberá wetlands and then to the Paraguayan Chaco, to see birds.