Passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship being monitored at US medical units

Eighteen passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, linked to a hantavirus outbreak, are now under medical monitoring in the US. Sixteen of them, including one who tested positive, are in Nebraska and currently asymptomatic, while two others were transferred to Emory University in Atlanta, where one is experiencing symptoms. Health officials emphasized that hantavirus does not spread easily, and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed human-to-human transmission aboard the ship, though the virus remains a low risk to the general public. In Spain, a quarantined passenger in Madrid tested positive for hantavirus after a preliminary PCR test, though he remains asymptomatic and in good health. The final results are pending. Earlier, 14 Spanish passengers were evacuated to a military hospital in Madrid, with 13 testing provisionally negative. One US passenger, Jake Rosmarin, shared updates on social media from a quarantine unit in Omaha, Nebraska, describing his well-being and the furnished conditions of his isolation room at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Rosmarin, who tested negative, noted the smooth repatriation flight and ongoing monitoring. The MV Hondius departed Tenerife’s Port of Granadilla on May 10, concluding the evacuation operation after five days of travel to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The ship’s remaining crew completed the final leg of the journey under the supervision of tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions. The WHO stressed that hantavirus, typically linked to rodents, is not another Covid-19 and poses minimal risk to the broader public. Three passengers have died since April 11, while others remain sick, but health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.