Spain Defends Hantavirus Response as Cruise Cases Rise
The Spanish government has defended its handling of a hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship Hondius, assuring the public that all passengers disembarked in the Canary Islands were asymptomatic and tested negative before being repatriated to their home countries.
Health Protocols and Repatriation
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García confirmed Tuesday that international protocols established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) were strictly followed. Upon the ship’s arrival in Tenerife, 125 passengers of more than 20 nationalities underwent epidemiological surveys and temperature checks. According to García, no individuals presented with a fever or other symptoms at that time.
Following their arrival on Sunday and Monday, passengers were transported directly to repatriation flights. “Once they left the ship and were transported to their flights, it was up to each country to apply its own health protocols,” García stated during a press conference in Madrid.
New Cases and Official Transparancy
Despite the initial clean bill of health at the port, new cases are emerging. A French woman who appeared healthy during disembarkation began showing symptoms during her flight to Paris. French authorities later confirmed she tested positive for hantavirus; she remains in critical condition in an intensive care unit.
Additionally, a Spanish passenger currently under preventive quarantine in Madrid tested positive after developing mild symptoms on Monday. This brings the total number of confirmed cases linked to the Hondius outbreak to ten.
García pushed back against accusations from the Canary Islands’ regional executive that the central government had withheld information. She specifically addressed the case of an American passenger whose initial tests in Cape Verde were inconclusive. While U.S. officials initially labeled the case a “weak positive,” subsequent tests conducted during repatriation were negative, leaving the case unconfirmed.
A Low Global Risk
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also speaking in Madrid, confirmed that the outbreak has resulted in nine certified cases, two probable cases, and three deaths among the ship’s crew and passengers. With the new Spanish case, the total confirmed count sits at ten.
“Given the long incubation period of the virus, it is likely that more cases will emerge in the coming weeks,” Tedros warned. However, he emphasized that because all passengers are now under medical surveillance or in isolation, there is no indication of a larger, uncontrolled outbreak.
The WHO has recommended a 42-day quarantine for all individuals who were on the vessel. While the hantavirus is typically transmitted from rodents, this specific variant—the Andes hantavirus—is rare because it can be transmitted between humans. Despite this, the WHO maintains that the overall health risk to the global population remains low.
Image: Pexels – Glenn Langhorst
