Two More Passengers from Virus-Stricken Cruise Ship Test Positive for Hantavirus

A French woman and an American man have become the latest confirmed cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, as nations continue to bring their citizens home from the outbreak-hit vessel.

French Health Minister Stephanie Rist confirmed Monday that a French passenger who had been aboard the ship tested positive and her condition is worsening. Speaking to France Inter radio, Rist emphasized the importance of early action to stop the virus from spreading. She pointed to a new decree aimed at tightening isolation rules for those who may have been exposed.

Four other French passengers have tested negative so far, and authorities have identified 22 contact cases.

In the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services reported Sunday that one American on a repatriation flight tested “mildly positive,” while another showed mild symptoms. Both were isolated in the plane’s biocontainment units as a precaution. All 17 MV Hondius passengers on that flight will undergo medical checks upon arrival.

The two new infections bring the total confirmed cases to ten. The World Health Organization has confirmed two deaths and one probable death linked to the outbreak. As of Friday, four people were hospitalized, one in intensive care in South Africa.

The MV Hondius has been anchored off Tenerife, in Spain’s Canary Islands, after being stranded for weeks. Health officials are tracking down passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was detected. The source of the virus is still under investigation.

Spain’s health minister said the evacuation of remaining passengers would wrap up Monday, with flights headed to Australia and the Netherlands. One flight will take six passengers from Tenerife to Australia, and another will carry 18 to the Netherlands. Both flights will also include passengers from countries that did not organize their own repatriation.

Hantaviruses typically cause severe respiratory illness and are most often spread by rodents, though human-to-human transmission is possible in rare cases. Symptoms—headaches, fever, chills, stomach issues, and breathing trouble—can appear one to eight weeks after exposure. The Andes strain identified in this outbreak has a fatality rate of 40 to 50 percent, especially in older adults.

The WHO has recommended a 42-day quarantine for passengers. Experts urge calm, noting the virus is far less contagious than COVID-19. Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency, called the public risk “extremely low.”