Hantavirus Case Was Confirmed in Spanish Cruise Passenger

(MENAFN) Spanish health authorities confirmed on Monday that a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for hantavirus shortly after the completion of a large-scale evacuation operation.

Spain’s Health Minister, Monica Garcia, announced on social media that the affected passenger, despite the positive result, is currently showing no symptoms. She also confirmed that the remaining 13 Spanish passengers on board tested negative for the virus. All of them are being kept under quarantine in a military hospital in Madrid as a precaution.

The outbreak has already resulted in three deaths, while additional infections have been recorded among passengers, including an American citizen and a French woman. Both were among those evacuated from the vessel and transferred to Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday.

According to French authorities, the French patient remains in intensive care but is in stable condition.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday evening that her condition had stabilized despite the seriousness of the illness.

Minister Garcia later described the evacuation effort as successfully completed, noting that 125 passengers and crew members from 23 different countries were safely removed from the ship over a two-day operation. She added that the evacuees have either already returned to their home countries or are currently in transit.

Following the evacuation, the MV Hondius is now en route to the Netherlands. Once it arrives, the remaining crew members are expected to disembark, and specialized teams will carry out full disinfection procedures on the vessel.

MENAFN12052026000045017640ID1111101285