2 Passengers Test Positive for Hantavirus After Cruise Ship Evacuation/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Two cruise ship passengers tested positive for hantavirus after an international evacuation effort began in the Canary Islands. Health authorities worldwide are monitoring and quarantining travelers linked to the deadly outbreak aboard the MV Hondius. The World Health Organization says the public risk remains low despite growing international concern.
Hantavirus Cruise Outbreak Quick Looks
- Two evacuated passengers test positive for hantavirus
- Third passenger showing possible symptoms
- WHO monitoring first cruise ship hantavirus outbreak
- Countries launching quarantines and medical surveillance
- Three passengers have died since outbreak began
- Experts stress public risk remains low
Deep Look
Global Health Response Intensifies After Cruise Ship Outbreak
International health authorities intensified emergency monitoring efforts Monday after two evacuated passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus while another traveler began showing symptoms.
The outbreak — the first ever recorded aboard a cruise ship — has already killed three passengers and triggered coordinated evacuations involving multiple countries.
Passengers began disembarking Sunday in Tenerife after the ship anchored near the Canary Islands. Military aircraft and government-chartered planes transported travelers home under strict infection-control measures.
Officials wearing full-body protective suits and breathing masks escorted passengers from the vessel to quarantine transport zones.
The outbreak has raised international concern because the Andes strain of hantavirus involved in the incident may spread between people in rare circumstances.
Despite growing attention, the World Health Organization continues emphasizing that the overall public risk remains low.
“This is not another COVID,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday. “And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn’t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic.”
New Positive Cases Confirmed In France And United States
Health officials confirmed Monday that a French woman evacuated from the ship tested positive for hantavirus after developing symptoms during a repatriation flight to Paris.
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said the woman’s condition worsened overnight while hospitalized.
Meanwhile, U.S. health authorities confirmed that one of 17 American passengers transported to Nebraska also tested positive for the virus, though the individual was not showing symptoms.
Another American passenger displayed mild symptoms and remained under close medical observation.
The evacuated Americans were flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which houses federally supported quarantine and biocontainment facilities previously used during Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
“One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival,” Nebraska Medicine spokesperson Kayla Thomas said. “The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms.”
Other passengers were transferred to the National Quarantine Unit for risk assessments and continued monitoring.
WHO Coordinating Worldwide Monitoring Effort
The WHO said countries receiving evacuated passengers should implement “active monitoring and follow-up,” including daily health checks and quarantine procedures when necessary.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, described the outbreak as unprecedented.
“It is the first-ever outbreak of the rare hantavirus on a cruise ship,” she said.
The organization confirmed Monday that:
- Three passengers have died
- Six infections have been confirmed
- One U.S. test result remains inconclusive
- Multiple countries are now conducting contact tracing
Passengers from more than 20 countries were part of the international evacuation effort.
Authorities in several nations are requiring returning travelers to undergo quarantine, medical observation or isolation protocols.
Captain Praises Crew And Passengers Amid Crisis
MV Hondius captain Jan Dobrogowski released a video statement Monday praising passengers and crew members for their conduct during the crisis.
“I’ve witnessed your caring, your unity and quiet strength amongst everybody on board — guests and crew alike,” Dobrogowski said.
He also honored those who died during the outbreak.
“My thoughts are with the ones that are no longer with us,” he added. “They are with us every day in our hearts and our thoughts.”
As of Monday, 54 passengers and crew remained aboard the ship, with some expected to continue traveling back to the Netherlands while others disembarked in Tenerife.
Rare Virus Raises International Concern
Hantavirus typically spreads through exposure to infected rodent droppings and is generally not considered highly contagious between humans.
However, the Andes strain identified during the outbreak has previously shown limited human-to-human transmission during earlier outbreaks in South America.
Symptoms can appear anywhere from one to eight weeks after exposure and may include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle aches
- Respiratory complications
- Severe pulmonary illness
The MV Hondius originally departed from Ushuaia on April 1.
The first passenger death occurred on April 11, but the WHO did not publicly respond to the suspected outbreak until early May while the ship was near Cape Verde.
Health officials worldwide are now racing to prevent additional infections while studying how the outbreak spread aboard the vessel.
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