The HV Hondius, a cruise ship recently dealing with a hantavirus outbreak, arrived in Spain early Sunday after the unfortunate deaths of three travelers raised concerns about the disease’s potential spread.
This Dutch vessel will dock in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, where over 140 passengers and crew members are set to undergo health checks for any symptoms before they get off the ship in small groups later on.
To disembark, passengers will leave their luggage behind and be taken ashore in groups of five to ten via small boats.
Locals have grown increasingly anxious in anticipation of the ship’s arrival. However, officials from the World Health Organization have indicated that the public risk remains low, emphasizing their ongoing monitoring of the situation.
As for the Spanish passengers—including 13 holidaymakers and one crew member—they will be the first to leave the ship, with plans to transfer them to a military hospital in Madrid where they will be kept in isolated rooms under close supervision.
Meanwhile, the 17 American travelers are expected to be flown back to the U.S., landing at the National Quarantine Center in Nebraska for tests and isolation, according to statements from the State Department.
Britain is also organizing evacuation flights for its citizens, all of whom will need to quarantine for 45 days upon their return.
This incident unfolded during a multi-week cruise that started on March 20 from Argentina, which turned dire when an elderly Dutch couple carried a rare Andean strain of the virus. Tragically, the husband passed away during the cruise, and his wife, after disembarking on St. Helena Island, succumbed to symptoms after arriving in South Africa.
Another passenger, a German national, also died during this ordeal.
The WHO reported that three individuals—German, Dutch, and British nationals—suspected of infection were evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment. Additionally, Switzerland confirmed a former passenger tested positive for the virus after showing symptoms.
The 23 other individuals who left the ship on April 23 have since dispersed worldwide, unaware they had been exposed to a lethal virus known to have a 40% mortality rate.
Currently, only one person has been verified as infected.
U.S. health authorities are also tracking former passengers residing in Georgia, California, and Arizona.
The remaining travelers are still on board, answering questions from medical staff as they await potential symptom development, which might take up to eight weeks.
Hantavirus primarily affects the lungs, and while typically transmitted via rodent droppings, the Andes strain has the capability of person-to-person transmission.
This infection tends to spread through extended, close contact and isn’t as contagious as illnesses such as COVID-19.
Furthermore, hantavirus usually mimics severe influenza, with survivors describing the experience as torturous.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a “Level 3” alert regarding the virus’s spread, indicating minimal public threat.
This Level 3 alert—CDC’s lowest emergency classification—aims to mobilize experts for monitoring and to prepare a response if it becomes necessary.
