Technology and Science12 May, 20262 min read
Spain Health Ministry Confirms New Hantavirus Case on MV Hondius, WHO Reports 11 Cases
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Spain confirms new hantavirus case on MV Hondius, total cases rise to 11. WHO chief says there is no sign of a larger outbreak yet.
Hondius outbreak grows
A Spanish passenger evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for hantavirus, Spain’s health ministry announced on Tuesday as the World Health Organization confirmed 11 cases, including three people from the cruise who died. The WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said all 11 confirmed cases were among passengers or crew of the MV Hondius, and that nine of the 11 cases had been confirmed as the Andes virus.
The passenger with the new confirmed case was in quarantine in a military hospital in Madrid, where 13 other Spanish nationals evacuated on Sunday—who all tested negative—were also staying. As the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members was completed, the MV Hondius was sailing back to the Netherlands to be cleaned and disinfected, while Tedros said, “These numbers have changed little over the past week thanks to the governments of multiple countries and partners.”
WHO: work not over
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that the push to contain the hantavirus outbreak “is not over” yet, soon after it was announced that everyone aboard the MV Hondius had been evacuated from Spain’s Canary Islands. In a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Tedros said there is “no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak...but of course the situation could change,” adding that the virus’s long incubation period could bring more cases in the coming weeks.
The BBC reported that the MV Hondius left Spain’s Tenerife island on Monday and sailed to the Dutch port of Rotterdam, with two flights carrying the final group of 28 passengers landing in nearby Eindhoven on Tuesday. The BBC also said 12 employees at a Dutch hospital were in quarantine after treating one of the evacuated passengers, and that the hospital in Nijmegen said the precaution was because the workers did not follow strict protocols while handling the patient’s blood and urine samples.
Quarantine, coordination, risk
The BBC said the WHO chief warned “the situation could change” and that there could still be more confirmed virus cases, even as it reported that overall seven cases had been confirmed.
“Dr. Brian Christine, assistant secretary for health, says the risk to the public is still ‘very, very low.’”
The BBC also reported that the Dutch-flagged vessel was expected to take six days to sail to Rotterdam, and that the ship would undergo sanitation, while Oceanwide Expeditions said exact procedures upon arrival remained under discussion.
In the United States, Forbes reported that 16 passengers from the MV Hondius that live in the United States were isolating at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska, and that two others—including a patient exhibiting symptoms of the virus’ Andes variant—were in Atlanta for health assessments.
Forbes quoted Jay Bhattacharya saying, “We have this under control and we’re not worried about it,” while Dr. Brian Christine said the risk to the public is still "very, very low."