Hantavirus Cruise Evacuation: Passengers Repatriated Amid Low Risk

May 11, 2026

67 min

May 11, 2026 03:30

Hantavirus cruise evacuations: Nations repatriate passengers, follow country-specific protocols

## Cruise Ship Evacuation

Passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, have been repatriated after docking in Spain's Canary Islands. The ship, which left South America on April 1, arrived at Granadilla de Abona port near Tenerife.

## Health Authorities' Assurance

Health officials, including WHO's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized that hantavirus does not pose a new pandemic threat, with the public risk deemed extremely low. The US Department of Health and Human Services also assessed the risk to Americans as minimal.

## Repatriation Efforts

Spanish authorities prioritized their nationals, flying 13 passengers and one crew member to Madrid for quarantine. Other countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, and the US, organized flights for their citizens. In total, over 100 passengers were repatriated under strict protocols.

## Country-Specific Protocols

In the US, 18 passengers will undergo monitoring at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. French evacuees, including one symptomatic individual, are in isolation in Paris. British passengers are in self-isolation near Liverpool, while Spanish nationals are quarantined in a military hospital.

## Background and Current Situation

The outbreak, linked to rodent exposure in Argentina, resulted in three deaths. The Andes strain of hantavirus can spread through close contact, but the risk remains low. No new cases have been reported since the ship docked, and contact tracing is ongoing.

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