Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship to Dock in Spain's Canary Islands
Al Jazeera
A cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak is heading to Spain's Canary Islands, where 140 passengers and crew will be quarantined and repatriated. At least eight people have fallen ill and three have died. The WHO says the risk of community spread is low.
A cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak is heading to Spain's Canary Islands, where 140 passengers and crew are expected to disembark for quarantine and repatriation after weeks at sea.
According to Spanish authorities, the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is scheduled to arrive at Tenerife early Sunday local time. At least eight people on board have fallen ill, and three have died since the outbreak began. Five passengers who left the ship earlier have been confirmed infected with hantavirus.
Spain's head of emergency services, Virginia Barcones, said passengers will be taken to a zone under "complete, fenced-off quarantine." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will be on the island to help coordinate repatriation efforts, according to Spanish health ministry sources.
The ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said no one currently on board is showing symptoms. The WHO assesses the risk of community transmission as low. "This is not a new COVID-19," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said. "This virus is not easily transmitted from person to person."
Hantavirus is typically spread through inhalation of contaminated rodent excreta and is not easily transmitted directly between people. However, the Andes virus identified in this cruise outbreak can spread between humans in rare cases. Symptoms usually appear one to eight weeks after exposure.
Health agencies across four continents are tracing and monitoring more than two dozen passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was detected on May 2. They are also working to track down anyone who may have come into contact with these passengers.
Some local residents have expressed concern that the arrival of passengers poses a health risk to the island. The anti-establishment group Iustitia Europa, which rose to prominence opposing COVID-19 restrictions, has called for the MV Hondius to be denied docking in Spain. "The Canary Islands cannot become Europe's medical laboratory... We demand transparency, responsibility, and protection of Spaniards to avoid repeating past mistakes," the group posted on X.
Some Spanish passengers fear they will face stigma when they come ashore. "We are afraid of all the news being published, afraid of how people will receive us," one anonymous passenger said. "Many people forget that there are over 140 passengers here. In reality, there are 140 human beings," another passenger added.
According to Spanish officials, when the ship reaches Tenerife, passengers will be evacuated by small boats onto buses, but only after their repatriation flights are ready. They will be transported in isolated, guarded vehicles, and the airport areas they pass through will also be sealed off.
