Spain Says All Precautions Taken in MV Hondius Outbreak
Spain has insisted it took every necessary precaution to prevent the spread of hantavirus from a cruise ship at the centre of an international health alert, even as authorities in France and the United States confirmed positive cases among evacuated passengers.
The Spanish health ministry said in a statement that “from the start, all the measures adopted have aimed at cutting the possible chains of transmission” and that “all measures for prevention and control of transmission have been applied,” according to AFP.
The MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged vessel, became the focus of a global health emergency after three passengers died onboard. A complex repatriation operation launched on Sunday from the Canary Islands flew out 94 passengers and crew members representing 19 nationalities. Medical teams escorted travellers to an airport on Tenerife under close supervision and following thorough sanitary checks before departure.
However, French and American health authorities subsequently reported one positive hantavirus test each from among their repatriated nationals. The Spanish health ministry clarified that the French patient “started to feel unwell during the flight and not while she was on the ship,” as reported by AFP. On the US case, the ministry noted that the American citizen “did not show symptoms when they were in Cape Verde,” where the MV Hondius had docked before reaching the Canary Islands.
“However, the US authorities have decided to treat the case as positive. For that reason, they requested a separate evacuation, which was carried out in a separate boat,” the ministry said, according to AFP.
Spanish minister Angel Victor Torres told public radio RNE that two additional repatriation flights were scheduled on Monday to complete the evacuation of remaining Australian and Dutch passengers and crew. “There are still some citizens from the Netherlands and Australia, and hopefully we can even finish before the scheduled time,” Torres said, as quoted by AFP. After refuelling, the ship was scheduled to depart for the Netherlands at 7:00 pm GMT with a skeleton crew.
Health experts have emphasised that hantavirus, while a known illness, remains rare and does not spread easily between humans. The virus typically circulates among rodents and does not carry the transmission characteristics of highly contagious respiratory diseases. Officials have also firmly dismissed comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic, insisting that the risk to global public health remains low. No vaccines or specific antiviral treatments currently exist for the disease.
The broader international response to the MV Hondius outbreak has involved coordination across multiple governments and health agencies, reflecting growing global sensitivity around emerging infectious disease events aboard international vessels.
Public health authorities across affected countries continue to monitor the condition of evacuated passengers.