The last passengers have disembarked the MV Hondius, a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak, as authorities confirmed three new positive cases linked to the deadly situation. The ship departed Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday after its final six passengers—four Australians, one Briton, and one New Zealander—and some crew members left the vessel.
Confirmed Cases and Fatalities
Three passengers have died after traveling on the ship, with two confirmed to have contracted the virus. An American and a French national who had returned home previously have also tested positive. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nine cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius have been confirmed, with two others suspected. Spain’s health ministry reported that one Spaniard, currently quarantining in Madrid after evacuation, also provisionally tested positive for hantavirus on Monday.
The US health department stated that a second American national on Sunday’s repatriation flight showed mild symptoms, noting both passengers traveled in “biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution.” French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirmed a woman was isolating in Paris with deteriorating health, and 22 contacts were traced. Two British nationals with confirmed cases are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Crew Repatriation and Ongoing Monitoring
Seventeen Filipino crew members arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday morning, with four others having arrived on Sunday evening. The Philippine Embassy confirmed the crew underwent medical testing and will be quarantined. In total, 38 Filipino crew members require eventual repatriation to the Philippines.
As of Monday evening, the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, stated that 27 people remain on board, including 25 crew members and two medical staff. These individuals are from the Philippines (17), the Netherlands (4, including medical staff), Ukraine (4), Russia (1), and Poland (1). Ukraine’s foreign ministry indicated that the Ukrainian nationals would assist with the ship’s transfer to the Netherlands and quarantine upon arrival, having shown no signs of illness.
Understanding Hantavirus
Hantaviruses are typically carried by rodents, but human transmission of the Andes strain—believed by the WHO to have been contracted by some passengers in South America—is possible. Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath. While most hantaviruses do not transmit person-to-person, rare instances of human transmission have been documented with the Andes virus strain. Officials maintain that the risk of a major outbreak remains very low.
International Repatriation Efforts
Over 90 passengers from the MV Hondius, previously docked in Spain’s Canary Islands, have been repatriated. Four Canadian passengers landed in Victoria, British Columbia, on Sunday, undertaking self-isolation and monitoring for at least three weeks. The US Department of Health and Human Services arranged for 17 US citizens on Sunday’s flight to undergo “clinical assessment” in Nebraska, alongside a British national residing in the US. Seven other US passengers had already returned home for monitoring.
WHO Guidelines vs. US CDC Stance
Before the American case was confirmed, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the US decision not to follow the organization’s guidelines for the hantavirus outbreak “may have risks.” The WHO recommended 42 days of isolation for those departing the MV Hondius. However, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), emphasized that human-to-human transmission was rare and should not be treated like Covid, aiming to prevent public panic.
Passengers were seen wearing blue gowns, bouffant caps, and medical face masks during disembarkation in Tenerife. Twenty British nationals flown to Manchester were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside for 72-hour isolation, with no reported symptoms. Fourteen Spaniards flown to Madrid are under mandatory quarantine at a military hospital, with additional evacuation flights scheduled. A separate flight carrying 26 passengers and crew, including eight Dutch nationals, arrived in the Netherlands.
Tributes and Timeline of Events
In a video message, Captain Jan Dobrogowski of Oceanwide Expeditions expressed the crew’s condolences for those lost and acknowledged the challenging weeks, praising the patience and discipline shown onboard. The Spanish health minister reported that a police officer involved in the repatriation operation died of cardiac arrest.
An elderly Dutch man was the first passenger to die on board the MV Hondius on April 11, believed to be the initial infection source. His wife, who left the ship on April 24, died two days later in Johannesburg. A German woman also died on board on May 2. Both women are confirmed cases.
The MV Hondius commenced its journey from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries.
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