Hantavirus Cruise Ship Begins Passenger Evacuation Off Tenerife

CNBC reported Sunday that the hantavirus cruise ship MV Hondius began offloading passengers near Tenerife, with Spain leading a carefully staged multinational evacuation operation. Eight people aboard previously fell ill and three have died.

Spanish Nationals Leave First in Controlled Groups

Spanish citizens were the first to disembark, ferried ashore in small boats in groups of five. On land, buses transported them directly to the local airport. A Spanish military aircraft then flew the group to Madrid, where passengers will enter hospital quarantine. Officials stressed the travelers will have no contact with the general public throughout the process.

Health Minister Monica Garcia outlined the sequence of subsequent departures at a press conference at Tenerife’s port. Dutch passengers are next to leave, sharing their evacuation flight with German, Belgian and Greek nationals. Turkish, French, British and American passengers follow in later waves. A final flight from Australia is expected to arrive Monday afternoon, carrying six people from Australia, New Zealand and several Asian countries.

Three Deaths Recorded, WHO Orders 42-Day Quarantine

The World Health Organization confirmed in a Friday update that eight people connected to the voyage had fallen ill. Six cases are confirmed hantavirus infections, with two further suspected cases still under investigation. Among the dead are a Dutch couple and a German national. The WHO has mandated a 42-day quarantine for all remaining passengers, beginning Sunday.

Europe’s public health agency classified every passenger aboard as a high-risk contact. It cautioned, however, that the threat to the broader public remains low at this stage.

Background: A Rare Virus With Rodent Origins

Hantavirus is primarily spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings. Person-to-person transmission is documented but remains uncommon. The MV Hondius departed the coast of Cape Verde on Wednesday after the WHO and the European Union requested Spain manage a coordinated passenger evacuation.

Spain’s health ministry noted that inspectors who boarded the vessel found hygiene conditions satisfactory and detected no rodents. The ministry also pointed out that more than 500 cruise ships traveling annually from South America, where the virus is endemic, have never previously triggered an outbreak on European territory.

Crew Remains on Board for Disinfection Voyage

Thirty crew members will stay with the ship after all passengers are evacuated. The vessel is then scheduled to sail to the Netherlands, where a full disinfection process will take place.

Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States all confirmed evacuation flights over the weekend, though not all aircraft had reached Tenerife by Sunday morning.

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