2 passengers test positive for hantavirus as a third shows symptoms after cruise ship evacuation
A French woman and an American tested positive for hantavirus after evacuation from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has seen three deaths linked to the outbreak, while health officials stress the public risk remains low. Passengers from over 20 countries were repatriated via military and government planes to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, with some taken to specialized quarantine units in Nebraska for monitoring.
The MV Hondius cruise ship, anchored in the Canary Islands, has confirmed two new hantavirus cases—a French woman and an American—while a third passenger shows mild symptoms, according to health officials. The French woman, repatriated to Paris on Sunday, developed symptoms during her flight and is now hospitalized with worsening health. Meanwhile, one of 17 American evacuees tested positive but remains asymptomatic, while another has mild symptoms. Passengers from the ship began returning home on Sunday via military and government planes after the outbreak killed three people. Health authorities in Spain, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions initially reported no symptoms among the 140 people on board. However, five infected individuals were identified after leaving the ship earlier. The WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, Maria Van Kerkhove, stated this is the first hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. The virus, typically spread through rodent droppings, may rarely transmit between people via the Andes strain detected in this case. Symptoms include fever, chills, and muscle aches, appearing one to eight weeks after exposure. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reassured the public that the risk remains low, emphasizing this is not another COVID-19 scenario. The 17 American evacuees were flown to Nebraska, where they were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for assessment. One passenger with a positive test but no symptoms will be moved to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, while others will be monitored in the National Quarantine Unit. The facility has experience handling highly infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and Ebola. Passengers from over 20 countries were evacuated from the ship under strict safety measures, with personnel in full-body protective gear escorting them from the MV Hondius to shore in Tenerife. The repatriation efforts continued into Monday, as global health agencies coordinated responses to contain the outbreak.
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