A cluster of hantavirus infections that broke out on a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic is once again putting the world's disease-control systems to the test. As disembarkation in Spain's Canary Islands and passenger-by-passenger repatriations wrapped up, additional confirmed cases emerged among passengers who returned home. Health authorities in each country launched emergency control measures, including self-quarantine and admission to designated hospitals.
On the 11th, according to a roundup of major media reports including the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and AP, all passengers of the cruise ship MV Hondius, which had been anchored off Tenerife, returned to about 20 countries that day on chartered flights. After the passenger transfer ended, the vessel set sail for Rotterdam, Netherlands, carrying only 26 crew members.
However, as infected passengers were confirmed one after another among those who returned to their home countries, health authorities grew highly alert. Hantavirus is mainly transmitted to humans through the saliva or excreta of rodents such as mice, and when infected, it can cause respiratory failure and other complications, with a fatality rate as high as half, making early response essential.
In France, a woman, one of five returnees, showed symptoms during the flight and later tested positive. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the patient remains in stable condition in an intensive care unit at a Paris hospital. Among the 18 people repatriated to the United States, one tested positive and one is showing mild symptoms of infection. The confirmed patient was immediately transferred to a biocontainment facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Spain also said that one of its 14 nationals who were in isolation at a military hospital tested positive.
The Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on the 1st of last month and encountered the outbreak while at sea. So far, three people have died, and the number of infections continues to rise. The British government has urgently isolated 20 nationals and two residents at a Merseyside hospital, focusing on containing the spread.
Health experts are watching the situation closely while warning against excessive fear. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "If the passengers had stayed on the ship longer, the situation would have become more difficult," adding, "There is no need to be afraid, the risk is low, and this is not another COVID-19." Spain Health Minister Monica Garcia said on social media, "A genetic analysis of the hantavirus from the Hondius confirmed it matches the already known Andes variant and found no related mutations."