Hantavirus Scare Widens: Evacuated Cruise Passengers Test Positive as Repatriation Continues
Two passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius—the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak—have tested positive for the virus, health officials confirmed Monday. The development comes as authorities race to complete a complex, large-scale repatriation of more than 100 travelers from Tenerife.
A French woman was among five passengers flown from the Canary Islands to a Paris hospital on Sunday. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the woman, who began feeling seriously ill Sunday night, tested positive for the virus and her condition worsened overnight. She is now being treated in a specialized infectious disease unit.
Meanwhile, an American passenger evacuated to Nebraska also tested positive but remains asymptomatic. U.S. health officials confirmed the case involves the Andes strain—the only form of hantavirus known to spread between humans. A second American has reported mild symptoms.
The evacuation effort, described by Spanish authorities as “unprecedented,” began Sunday with personnel in protective suits escorting passengers from the ship to a small industrial port. Buses then carried travelers to Tenerife South Airport for flights home. By Sunday evening, 94 people of 19 nationalities had been moved; operations continued Monday with final flights to Australia and the Netherlands.
Three passengers—a Dutch couple and a German woman—have died from the rare disease, which typically spreads through rodents. No vaccines or specific treatments exist. The ship departed from Argentina, where the virus is endemic, in April.
Health officials stress the risk to the general public remains low. French authorities have identified 22 additional contacts among nationals, including passengers on flights from Saint Helena to Johannesburg and onward to Amsterdam. The Dutch victim briefly boarded that Amsterdam flight before being removed.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to meet with medical advisers later Monday. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon urged calm, noting a 42-day quarantine period has been established. The World Health Organization recommends daily symptom checks during that window.