Spanish authorities are preparing to receive more than 140 passengers and crew members from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak as the vessel heads toward the Canary Islands. According to officials, the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Tenerife on Sunday under strict isolation measures.
The report said at least three passengers have died and several others have fallen ill. Health officials stressed that the risk to the wider public remains low.
The World Health Organization said hantavirus is usually spread through contact with contaminated rodent waste and is not easily transmitted between people.
The luxury cruise ship beset by a hantavirus outbreak is headed for Spain's Canary Islands after three deaths. With nearly 150 people still on board with no symptoms, and some seriously ill passengers already evacuated, what happens next? https://t.co/8CHbbKZkhy pic.twitter.com/V4w2GZVKav
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 7, 2026
Authorities in several countries are now tracing passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was confirmed. According to reports, the United States and Britain are arranging evacuation flights for their citizens onboard.
Spanish officials said passengers will be moved through isolated airport corridors and transported in guarded vehicles. The WHO urged calm, saying the outbreak should not be compared to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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