Passengers and crew from the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, began disembarking near Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands as national health agencies coordinated controlled returns home. The World Health Organization reported eight cases connected to the outbreak as of May 8, including six laboratory-confirmed Andes virus infections, two probable cases and three deaths. WHO said the broader public health risk remains low, while the risk to passengers and crew exposed on the ship is considered moderate.
The outbreak was first reported to WHO after a cluster of severe respiratory illness was detected aboard the vessel. Several patients had already been hospitalized in different countries, including South Africa, the Netherlands and Switzerland, while contact tracing began for passengers who had previously left the ship. The virus involved is the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus most often associated with exposure to infected rodents, though limited person-to-person spread has been documented with this strain.
European health officials advised that passengers leaving the ship be handled cautiously. Reuters reported that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control classified all passengers as high-risk contacts at disembarkation as a precaution, though that classification may change after each country completes its own risk assessment. Passengers without symptoms are being sent home through dedicated transportation rather than ordinary commercial travel, while symptomatic passengers are prioritized for testing, isolation or medical evacuation.
Several countries have already announced specific return plans. Spanish nationals were flown to Madrid and placed under quarantine at a military hospital. British passengers were expected to be flown to Merseyside and quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, while Irish passengers were expected to quarantine in a Health Service Executive facility after returning home. Other countries, including the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Turkey and Australia, were also arranging repatriation or monitoring procedures for their citizens.
The United States has arranged a separate response for Americans still being repatriated from the ship. U.S. passengers are expected to be flown to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and then taken to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska for monitoring. The CDC has said the risk to the American public remains extremely low, but it is using quarantine, exposure reviews and public-health monitoring because Andes virus can have a long incubation period and can rarely spread between people in close-contact settings.
Texas health officials are also monitoring two Texas residents who had been passengers on the MV Hondius but returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified. Reuters reported that the CDC notified the Texas health department about the two residents, and state officials contacted them. According to the report, both said they were not showing symptoms and had not interacted with sick passengers while aboard the ship. The Houston Chronicle also reported that the two Texans were symptom-free, had no known contact with infected people, and agreed to monitor for signs of illness. There is no verified report that the two Texas residents have been sent to the federal quarantine facility in Nebraska.
Health authorities are asking exposed passengers to watch for symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain or breathing problems. WHO and national health agencies have emphasized that this is not considered a broad community outbreak, and officials have not recommended travel or trade restrictions. For now, the response is focused on controlled disembarkation, dedicated transportation, quarantine or isolation where required, contact tracing, and rapid medical evaluation for anyone who becomes ill.
