Spain prepares for evacuations as a hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads for the Canary Islands

Key Points:

• Spanish authorities are preparing to receive over 140 passengers and crew from the hantavirus-affected MV Hondius cruise ship in Tenerife, Canary Islands, with plans for careful, isolated evacuations to prevent virus spread.
• At least three passengers have died and several others are sick; however, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the risk to the wider public low and confirmed a flight attendant who had brief contact with an infected passenger tested negative.
• The hantavirus outbreak is linked to the Andes virus, which can rarely spread between people, primarily transmitted through rodent droppings; symptoms appear one to eight weeks after exposure.
• Health authorities across four continents are tracing passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was detected, with cases confirmed or suspected in the UK, South Africa, and the Netherlands, including British nationals on remote islands.
• Spanish officials emphasized strict isolation measures during evacuation and reassured the public that there is no risk of contact or wider transmission, comparing the situation to early COVID-19 concerns but stressing the low risk.