Spanish cruise passenger tests positive for hantavirus

Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia announced Monday that one Spanish passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus, shortly after authorities completed a two-day evacuation operation. The infected passenger remains asymptomatic, while the 13 other Spanish nationals aboard have tested negative. All are under quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid.

Outbreak details and evacuation

Three people have died in the outbreak so far. Other confirmed cases include an American and a French woman, who was evacuated to Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday evening that the French woman remains in intensive care but is in stable condition. Garcia confirmed that the evacuation of 125 passengers and crew from 23 countries has been “accomplished,” with passengers now either in their home countries or en route. The ship is heading to the Netherlands, where the remaining crew will disembark and specialists will disinfect the vessel.

Controversy and virus strain

The evacuation sparked criticism from the Canary Islands’ president, who questioned why the ship was not sent to the Netherlands, its country of registration. Health authorities have stressed that hantavirus does not pose a transmission risk comparable to COVID-19. The strain involved is the Andes strain, the only known hantavirus variant capable of human-to-human transmission. The deadliest known outbreak killed 11 people in Patagonia, Argentina, in 2018. While Türkiye has not been directly affected, Ankara’s health authorities are monitoring the situation closely given international travel patterns.