Spain Cordon Off Cruise Ship After Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak

Spanish authorities have imposed a strict no-go zone around the Dutch cruise liner MV Hondius after a hantavirus outbreak killed three people on board. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced Saturday that all vessels are banned from coming within one nautical mile of the ship once it enters the waters of the Canary Islands.

“We’ve approved a prohibition on any navigation less than one nautical mile from the Hondius after it enters the maritime area of the Canary Islands,” the minister told a press conference. The ship, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, reported seven confirmed infections to the World Health Organization. Three passengers have died.

Grande-Marlaska said the reception and repatriation plan for passengers is ready, regardless of when the ship arrives. A command center on Tenerife will oversee the entire operation. “The plan we’ve drawn up ensures no contact between passengers and the civilian population of the Canary Islands,” he stressed.

Hantaviruses are transmitted to humans through contact with rodents and can cause severe illnesses, including hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The MV Hondius remains under isolation as Spanish authorities work to contain the threat.