Spanish authorities announced on Monday that they have implemented comprehensive protocols to stop the transmission of hantavirus following reports that evacuees from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for the disease.
A major repatriation effort concluded on Sunday in the Canary Islands, where 94 passengers and crew members from 19 different nations were flown home.
This operation followed an international health alert issued after three passengers passed away aboard the Dutch-flagged vessel.
Although travelers underwent rigorous sanitary evaluations before boarding flights in Tenerife, health officials in France and the United States subsequently confirmed positive hantavirus cases among their respective citizens.
The Spanish Health Ministry emphasized that every necessary precaution was taken to break potential transmission chains from the moment the situation began.
Regarding the specific cases, the ministry noted that the French passenger began showing symptoms mid-flight, while the US citizen was asymptomatic during a previous stop in Cape Verde.
Due to the positive US test result, officials arranged a specialized, separate evacuation for that individual.
Additional repatriation flights destined for Australia and the Netherlands are set to conclude the evacuation process for the remaining passengers. Once complete, the vessel is expected to depart for the Netherlands with a minimal crew.
Hantavirus is a rare condition typically transmitted by rodents, for which there is currently no vaccine or targeted therapy.
Public health experts maintain that the global risk remains minimal and have rejected any parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic.
