Health officials around the world are closely watching a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship after a new passenger tested positive for the virus in Spain.
The outbreak, connected to the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, has already caused several deaths and led to emergency evacuations, quarantines, and international health monitoring efforts.
The latest confirmed patient is a Spanish passenger who had been evacuated from the ship and placed in quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid. Spain’s health ministry announced the positive test on Tuesday.
The patient had been staying with 13 other Spanish nationals who were also evacuated from the ship on Sunday. Fortunately, the other passengers tested negative for the virus.
The World Health Organization has now confirmed 11 hantavirus cases connected to the cruise ship outbreak, including three deaths.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that nine of the confirmed infections involve the Andes virus, which is considered one of the rare hantavirus strains that may spread between people under unusual conditions.
The outbreak has attracted global attention because health experts say this is believed to be the first known hantavirus outbreak connected to a cruise ship. Normally, hantavirus infections are linked to contact with rodents, especially exposure to rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
Human-to-human spread is considered uncommon for most hantavirus strains, but the Andes virus has previously shown limited ability to spread between people in rare situations.
The MV Hondius had been anchored at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, in Spain’s Canary Islands, while authorities organized a large-scale evacuation of passengers and crew members. Health workers wearing full-body protective suits and breathing masks escorted people off the ship in carefully controlled operations.
A total of 87 passengers and 35 crew members were evacuated from the vessel. After the evacuation was completed, the ship began sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will undergo deep cleaning and disinfection before returning to service.
Tedros said the number of confirmed cases has not increased significantly during the past week, which is encouraging for public health officials.
However, he also warned that the situation could still change because hantavirus infections may take a long time to appear after exposure. Symptoms can develop anywhere from one week to eight weeks later.
For this reason, the WHO has advised all passengers returning from the cruise to remain in quarantine for 42 days. Tedros explained that different countries may manage quarantine rules differently because WHO guidance is not legally enforceable.
Meanwhile, several countries are continuing to monitor passengers and medical staff who may have been exposed to the virus.
In the Netherlands, authorities reported that 12 workers at Radboud University Medical Center were ordered to quarantine after incorrectly handling bodily fluids from an infected patient. The patient had arrived in the Netherlands on one of the evacuation flights from the cruise ship and later tested positive for hantavirus.
Hospital officials said the infection risk to staff members is believed to be low, but quarantine was ordered as a precaution. The hospital admitted that blood and urine samples from the patient should have been handled using stricter safety procedures.
In France, a woman evacuated from the ship remains in intensive care in stable condition at a Paris hospital. French authorities have held emergency meetings to discuss the outbreak and review public health measures.
Several special flights have also been organized to return passengers and crew to their home countries while keeping them isolated from the public.
Two aircraft arrived in Eindhoven in the Netherlands carrying evacuated crew members and passengers. Dutch nationals were sent home to quarantine, while other crew members, including workers from the Philippines, were placed in quarantine facilities organized by Dutch health authorities.
Another flight chartered by Australian authorities brought several passengers to the Netherlands, including Australians, a New Zealand citizen, and a British national living in Australia. Officials said they would remain in quarantine near the airport before eventually continuing their journey home.
Hantavirus infections can become very serious because the virus may attack the lungs, heart, and other organs. Early symptoms often resemble the flu and may include fever, chills, headache, tiredness, and muscle pain. As the illness worsens, some patients develop breathing problems and severe lung complications.
There is currently no specific cure or vaccine for hantavirus. However, health experts say early medical treatment greatly improves survival chances. Patients with severe illness often require intensive hospital care, oxygen support, or breathing assistance.
The outbreak has also raised concerns about how infectious diseases can spread during international travel. Cruise ships bring together large numbers of passengers from different countries in close living spaces, making disease monitoring especially important.
Public health experts say the response to the MV Hondius outbreak shows how quickly international cooperation becomes necessary during health emergencies.
Governments, hospitals, airlines, and health agencies from multiple countries have been working together to track passengers, arrange quarantines, and reduce the risk of wider spread.
At the moment, WHO officials say there is no evidence of a large global outbreak. Still, authorities continue to monitor former passengers and crew carefully because of the virus’s long incubation period.
The situation also highlights the importance of strict infection control procedures in hospitals and during patient transport. Even small mistakes when handling infected bodily fluids may place healthcare workers at risk.
Although the outbreak remains limited for now, health experts say the coming weeks will be important in determining whether additional cases appear among passengers, crew members, or healthcare workers connected to the cruise ship.
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