Spanish Passenger From MV Hondius Tests Positive For Hantavirus

Spanish health authorities have confirmed that another passenger evacuated from the MV Hondius earlier this month has tested positive for hantavirus.

According to Spain’s Ministry of Health, the patient was among 14 Spanish nationals aboard the virus-hit cruise ship. Following the vessel’s arrival in Tenerife on May 10, all Spanish passengers were evacuated and flown to Madrid for quarantine and medical monitoring.

The patient, who tested positive at the Gómez Ulla Central Defence Hospital, was immediately transferred to the hospital’s High-Level Isolation Unit after the results were confirmed.

The latest case marks the second confirmed hantavirus infection among Spanish passengers from the ship. Reports from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control indicate there are now 11 confirmed cases and two probable cases linked to the outbreak.

In a statement shared on X, the Spanish Ministry of Health explained that the infected passenger had been identified as a close contact of another confirmed case during investigations into the outbreak.

“The affected person had been under clinical surveillance and isolation since their admission, in accordance with the protocols established by the Early Warning and Rapid Response System,” the ministry stated.

Health officials added that the infection was detected during routine medical checks carried out on passengers. They stressed that the situation does not increase the current risk level for the general public.

Hantavirus is a rare disease typically spread through contact with rodents or their droppings, and symptoms can range from flu-like illness to severe respiratory complications.