All 122 passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak, disembarked on May 11 and 12 at the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands. The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is now carrying 27 crew members and is en route to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for cleaning and disinfection. Following the disembarkation, passengers have been repatriated to over 20 countries via military and government-chartered flights for quarantine and monitoring.
The outbreak has resulted in at least 11 confirmed cases of hantavirus, including three fatalities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). All cases are linked to passengers or crew of the MV Hondius. Among those infected, nine cases have been confirmed to involve the Andes virus strain, which is notable for its rare potential to transmit between people. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the outbreak poses a low risk to the general public and is distinct from COVID-19, but noted the possibility of additional cases emerging due to the virus's incubation period of one to eight weeks.
The cruise departed Argentina on April 1 with plans to navigate through the Antarctic Circle before heading toward Cape Verde. However, the ship was denied entry to Cape Verde after reports of the outbreak surfaced and left the island’s coast on May 7. Argentine health authorities are investigating the outbreak’s origin, focusing on a Dutch couple believed to have been first infected during a bird-watching trip that included visits to areas with rodent populations.
Among those infected, a French woman remains in intensive care at Bichat Hospital in Paris, suffering severe lung and heart complications related to hantavirus. She is being treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), an artificial lung support device. French officials report additional French passengers remain in isolation, with some testing negative but under observation.
In the United States, 18 American passengers evacuated from the ship were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which houses a federally funded quarantine and biocontainment unit. Of these, one individual tested positive for hantavirus but is currently asymptomatic, while another exhibits mild symptoms. Two more American passengers were taken to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for further evaluation, with one showing mild symptoms awaiting testing.
Health officials have praised the evacuation process, noting that passengers were escorted ashore by personnel wearing full protective gear, including breathing masks, to minimize transmission risk. The WHO has recommended that all repatriated passengers undergo close health monitoring and quarantine for up to 45 days, although enforcement of this guidance varies by country.
Separately, 12 staff members at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, were placed under quarantine after a hantavirus patient was admitted and bodily fluids were not handled according to strict safety protocols. The hospital stated the infection risk is low but maintained quarantine as a precaution.
The MV Hondius currently has remaining crew aboard as it sails toward the Netherlands, where further decontamination will occur. Global health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, emphasizing that early detection and treatment remain crucial since no cure or vaccine exists for hantavirus infection.