Spain Defends Protocols After Hantavirus on MV Hondius
The Spanish government has defended its handling of a hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, asserting that “all preventive and transmission control measures” were strictly followed. The statement comes after health authorities in the United States and France reported that several repatriated passengers tested positive for the rare virus.
Disputed Test Results
Spanish health officials addressed a specific case involving a passenger repatriated to the United States. While Spanish laboratories deemed the individual’s test results “inconclusive” or “negative,” U.S. authorities classified the result as a “weak positive.”
Spain’s Ministry of Health noted that the passenger showed no symptoms while the ship was quarantined in Cape Verdean waters. Despite the conflicting data, Spanish authorities accommodated the U.S. request to treat the passenger as a positive case. The individual was removed from the ship in the Canary Islands using an independent vessel and repatriated in an isolated section of a flight carrying 17 other Americans.
A second U.S. passenger, who exhibited a “mild cough” on May 6, was also treated as a “probable case” and isolated during the evacuation process.
Emerging Cases in Europe
In addition to the U.S. cases, a French woman tested positive for hantavirus after landing in France on Sunday. Spanish authorities clarified that she only began to feel unwell during her flight and had not exhibited symptoms while aboard the 107-meter vessel.
The MV Hondius, which flies the Dutch flag, triggered an international health alert while traveling from Argentina through the South Atlantic. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed six cases linked to the ship, including three fatalities.
Coordinated Repatriation Effort
Spain is currently coordinating a massive logistical effort to clear the ship. On Sunday, 94 people of 19 different nationalities were evacuated and sent to their home countries. An additional 24 passengers and crew are scheduled for transfer today.
Once the operation is complete, the MV Hondius is expected to depart the Canary Islands for the port of Rotterdam with a skeleton crew on board.
What is Andes Hantavirus?
While hantaviruses are typically transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents, the specific strain identified in this outbreak—the Andes hantavirus—is rare because it can be transmitted from person to person. Initial symptoms are often flu-like, including fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, but the infection can progress to cause severe pulmonary or renal failure.
Despite the high-profile nature of the cruise ship outbreak, the WHO maintains that the risk to the general public remains low.
Image: Pexels – Karina Badura
