Hantavirus under control, authorities on high alert over human-to-human transmission risk

The public health challenge linked to the emergence of a rare strain of hantavirus is complex, according to pharmacist and health commentator Thorrun Govind. She told AnewZ's Daybreak the situation was complicated by the number of nationalities involved and the need to safely return the passengers.

“The risk to the wider public is low,” Govind said, “but we are dealing with a strain of hantavirus where human-to-human transmission is known to occur. That presents a challenge, especially when people have been in close contact in an enclosed environment.”

The virus involved, the Andes strain, is rare but serious, and close contact remains the primary concern for health authorities.

WHO quarantine guidance adds pressure

The World Health Organization has recommended, though not mandated, a 42-day quarantine period, reflecting an incubation window of up to six weeks.

Govind said this guidance places considerable strain on governments, which are responding in different ways.

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“In some countries, people may be isolated in government‑run facilities, while in others, they may be asked to isolate at home. That variation makes coordination more difficult.”

In the UK, returning passengers are expected to be monitored at Arrowe Park Hospital, a site familiar from the COVID-19 pandemic. Govind stressed, however, that the two situations are not comparable.

Containment and cleaning measures underway

Authorities are also carrying out extensive disinfecting and deep-cleaning of the ship involved as part of containment efforts.

Investigators are examining links to Argentina, where the virus was first identified, while public health agencies focus on improving awareness of how hantavirus spreads, primarily through aerosolised particles from rodent urine or faeces.

Govind said early symptoms may include fever, fatigue and muscle aches, and warned these can progress rapidly.

“It can develop into serious lung complications and respiratory failure, and that can happen quite quickly,” she said, noting that the Andes strain in particular carries a high mortality rate.

She said close monitoring of infected individuals and their contacts is essential.

No need to avoid travel, but precautions matter

Despite the seriousness of the outbreak, Govind told AnewZ it should not discourage people from travelling.

“I wouldn’t stop going on a cruise because of this,” she said.

She urged travellers to be mindful of their own health, to consider others if unwell, and to ensure they have appropriate travel insurance and vaccinations.

Govind said that while global health threats are constantly evolving, this situation differs from past emergencies.

“What we’re fortunate with is that this isn’t unknown. We’ve dealt with hantavirus before,” she said. “The focus now is on careful monitoring and managing the situation effectively, rather than reacting in panic.”

Hantavirus-hit ship's captain praises passengers and crew as evacuations conclude

The captain of the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was struck by a hantavirus outbreak, praised passengers and crew on Monday for their patience and discipline as the remaining 28 people prepared to disembark in Tenerife.

Captain Jan Dobrogowski said the past few weeks had been “extremely challenging”, adding that he could not have wished for a better group of guests and crew to face the crisis alongside.

The remaining passengers aboard the polar expedition vessel were due to be transferred ashore by small boats before flying to the Netherlands later on Monday to begin quarantine. The ship itself was expected to continue to the Netherlands, where it would undergo disinfection procedures with 26 crew members still onboard.

The evacuation operation comes 41 days after the ship departed southern Argentina and nine days after the first confirmed hantavirus case was identified. So far, 94 people have been evacuated and repatriated. Three people have died since the outbreak began, including a Dutch couple and a German national.

The World Health Organisation said there are currently nine reported cases linked to the ship, seven of which have been confirmed as Andes virus, a type of hantavirus.

Health concerns intensified after two additional passengers tested positive following the ship’s arrival in the Canary Islands. French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said a French passenger’s condition had worsened after testing positive. Meanwhile, U.S. authorities said one American passenger showed a mild positive result for the Andes virus, while another displayed mild symptoms.

Spanish authorities questioned the U.S. assessment, saying one laboratory result had been considered inconclusive by European experts. Spain’s health ministry also said another American passenger had only a mild cough that doctors onboard did not believe was linked to hantavirus. A French passenger reportedly developed a fever only after boarding a flight.

Officials defended their decision not to conduct mass PCR testing onboard, arguing there was neither the technical capacity nor sufficient epidemiological reason to do so. Test results for 14 Spanish passengers currently quarantining at a military hospital in Madrid were expected later on Monday.

The MV Hondius had been carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries when the outbreak was first reported to the WHO on May 3. By then, dozens of passengers had already disembarked on Atlantic islands before the vessel headed towards Cape Verde.

Hantavirus is typically spread by rodents, although person-to-person transmission can occur in rare cases involving close contact. The outbreak was first detected after a British passenger who had left the ship sought treatment in Johannesburg earlier this month.

The WHO has recommended a 42-day quarantine period for all passengers. However, health officials have sought to reassure the public that the virus poses limited risk to the wider population and is unlikely to develop into a pandemic similar to COVID-19.

Marcello Cattani, head of Italy’s pharmaceutical lobby, said on Monday there was little need for a hantavirus vaccine, adding that the outbreak remained limited in scale and was unlikely to evolve into a broader global health crisis.

Last six passengers leave quarantined cruise ship off Tenerife

The final six passengers and several crew members aboard the hantavirus-affected MV Hondius, anchored off Tenerife, were preparing to disembark on Monday, as the ship’s captain commended their patience and discipline during what he described as an “extremely challenging” few weeks.

The remaining passengers, four Australians, one British national residing in Australia, and one New Zealander were expected to be transferred ashore in small boats before flying to the Netherlands, where they will undergo quarantine.

Meanwhile, 19 crew members and three doctors who had treated those affected were scheduled to depart earlier on a separate flight to the Netherlands, according to the Dutch Foreign Ministry.

U.S. says 18 passengers flown back after hantavirus outbreak on ship

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials said on Monday that 18 passengers from a luxury cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak had been flown back to the United States and placed under quarantine, with one passenger who tested positive being treated in a biocontainment unit in Nebraska.

The passengers are being monitored at medical facilities across the U.S., with 16 housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and two in Atlanta, including one individual showing symptoms, officials said during a press briefing.

The group had travelled aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury expedition cruise ship associated with an outbreak of the Andes virus, the only known hantavirus strain capable of limited person-to-person transmission. Hantaviruses are typically spread by wild rodents.

U.S. health officials stressed that the risk to the wider public remains very low. Admiral Brian Christine, assistant secretary for health, said the Andes virus “does not spread easily” and generally requires prolonged close contact with a symptomatic person.

Asked at the Oval Office about the U.S. response to the outbreak, President Donald Trump said:

“I think it was fine.”

The World Health Organisation said on Monday that seven confirmed cases of Andes hantavirus had now been identified among passengers from the ship.

When asked whether he regretted withdrawing from the WHO, Trump replied: “No, I’m glad.”

Officials said the two passengers transferred to Atlanta were a couple, one of whom was displaying symptoms. They were admitted to Emory University’s biocontainment unit in order to preserve Nebraska’s capacity for any additional passengers requiring advanced care.

Angela Hewlett, an infectious disease specialist and medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, said the patient being treated there was “doing well” and had not developed symptoms.

She added that officials would continue monitoring the individual to ensure they remained asymptomatic.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also speaking at the Oval Office, said he had been in contact with the University of Nebraska “since the second day of the outbreak” as well as Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen.

“We had a CDC team in Tenerife. We had aircraft ready to transport the patients... We have this under control, and we’re not concerned about it,” Kennedy said.

Officials said the quarantined passengers ranged in age from their late 20s to their late 70s or early 80s, and could remain under observation for up to 42 days.

The group included 17 U.S. citizens and one dual British-American national who chose to return to the United States.

Hantavirus-hit ship sails for the Netherlands after Tenerife evacuation

The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius departed Tenerife for the Netherlands after the final passengers and several crew members were evacuated from the vessel. The remaining six passengers, including Australians, a British national living in Australia, and a New Zealander, were flown to the Netherlands as part of an international evacuation operation.

The outbreak onboard has so far claimed the lives of three people, a Dutch couple and a German passenger, while the World Health Organization has confirmed seven cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus, with two additional suspected cases under investigation. The virus is typically spread by infected rodents, although rare person-to-person transmission can occur through close contact.

Health officials said the risk to the wider public remains low because the virus does not spread easily between humans. Authorities chose to evacuate passengers in Tenerife instead of keeping them quarantined onboard after reports that some were suffering serious mental strain following weeks of isolation at sea.

In total, 94 passengers and crew members have now been repatriated, while the remaining crew will complete quarantine procedures in the Netherlands. The WHO has recommended a 42-day quarantine for everyone linked to the voyage, but officials stressed the outbreak is under control and there is no expectation of a new pandemic.

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