Spain eases quarantine for contacts from hantavirus cruise ship; WHO confirms 12th infection

Spain will allow some individuals who were in contact with hantavirus-infected persons from the cruise ship MV Hondius to spend the final 14 days of their mandatory quarantine at home, provided they remain asymptomatic and have negative test results. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has confirmed a new case of infection, bringing the total number of infections linked to the onboard outbreak to 12. This was reported by Euronews.

The Spanish Public Health Commission has approved a new protocol for tracking the outbreak that occurred on the cruise ship MV Hondius, after dozens of passengers and crew members were placed under surveillance in various countries.

To date, 14 passengers in Spain have been admitted to the Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid—one of the country’s medical facilities equipped with a highly specialized unit for the isolation and treatment of dangerous infections. One of those hospitalized has tested positive for hantavirus.

Two women from Alicante and Barcelona, who traveled by plane with one of the individuals who died from the infection, also remain under surveillance.

The new regulations mandate a total of 42 days of quarantine for identified contacts. They will remain under hospital surveillance for the first 28 days and will be able to complete their isolation at home for the final two weeks. The condition is that individuals must be asymptomatic and have negative PCR tests.

Health authorities specify that during home isolation, contacts will be monitored daily by public health officials. Transportation from medical facilities to homes will be conducted via specialized medical transport, without the use of public transportation. Both patients and drivers are required to wear FFP2 protective masks and maintain strict hand hygiene.

The only confirmed infected patient in Spain will remain in the specialized isolation and treatment unit until full recovery.

New Case in the Netherlands

The World Health Organization also reported a new hantavirus case linked to the cruise ship. The infected individual is a crew member who left the ship in Tenerife and was subsequently repatriated to the Netherlands, where they have remained in isolation.

“There have been no new deaths in the last 20 days. The Netherlands reported another case—a crew member who left the ship in Tenerife, was repatriated, and has been in isolation since then,” stated the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Thus, the total number of cases linked to the outbreak on board the MV Hondius reaches 12. The number of deaths remains at three, all of which occurred before May 2—the date the outbreak was officially reported to the World Health Organization.

Over 600 People Remain Under Surveillance

According to health authorities, more than 600 possible contacts in 30 countries worldwide continue to be tracked.

The World Health Organization warns that there is still a small number of high-risk contacts who have not been located. Tedros thanked the countries involved in managing the crisis and the epidemiological investigation, including Argentina, Cape Verde, Chile, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius has prompted international coordination among health authorities, as the disease—though rare—can be severe and, in certain cases, life-threatening.