AMSTERDAM — Health authorities are monitoring new suspected hantavirus infections in Spain and the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha as they work to contain an outbreak linked to a luxury cruise ship.
The latest cases involve a man who developed symptoms after leaving the vessel and a woman in Spain who fell ill after close contact on an international flight with a previously infected passenger. The incidents occurred thousands of miles apart and are being investigated separately from confirmed cases aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that eight people aboard the vessel became ill during the voyage, with six confirmed hantavirus infections. Three of those patients have died, including a Dutch couple and a German national.
WHO officials said the outbreak involves the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain capable of limited human-to-human transmission through prolonged close contact. The agency has emphasized that the overall risk to the public remains low.
“Based on the dynamics of this outbreak and how it is spreading among passengers and those who disembarked, we continue to consider the risk as low for the general population,” said Anais Legand, WHO technical officer for viral threats.
Health authorities in Spain said a woman in Alicante is showing mild respiratory symptoms and is undergoing testing. Officials noted she had been seated two rows behind a Dutch passenger who later tested positive after exposure on the cruise.
On Tristan da Cunha, considered the world’s most remote inhabited island, a British man is also suspected of infection after traveling aboard the same ship. The island has a population of about 200 residents and is more than 1,500 miles from its nearest inhabited neighbor.
The MV Hondius carried 147 passengers and crew during its voyage, which included stops in Antarctica and waters near Cape Verde before the outbreak was detected. The vessel is currently en route to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where health authorities are preparing screening and disembarkation procedures.
Several countries, including Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom, are coordinating evacuation plans for their citizens aboard the ship. The European Union has also arranged additional transport for remaining passengers.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said evacuation efforts are expected to take place within a narrow window due to worsening sea conditions forecast later this month. Returning passengers will undergo quarantine and medical monitoring upon arrival in their home countries.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said affected American passengers will be transported to Omaha for quarantine at the University of Nebraska.
Health officials continue to urge vigilance among individuals who may have had contact with passengers from the vessel, although they stress that sustained community transmission remains unlikely.
The MV Hondius outbreak is being closely watched as one of the first documented instances of a cruise ship–linked hantavirus cluster, highlighting concerns over disease spread in an era of global travel.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
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- Venus L Peñaflor
