Evacuated cruise ship passengers test positive for hantavirus in isolation
Evacuated cruise ship passengers test positive for hantavirus during isolation in their home countries.
Event / Health
MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak
Hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius with confirmed cases and deaths among passengers who traveled through South America and Atlantic ports.
5 reported locations
Daily activity
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2026-08-17 to 2026-11-14 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 4 May, 00:07 UTC
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What happened
French citizen tested negative for hantavirus after exposure to confirmed case
A French national who had been placed in isolation due to mild symptoms after traveling by air with a confirmed hantavirus case was tested negative, as announced by the French government on May 9, 2026. No confirmed cases of hantavirus had been reported on French territory at the time of reporting.
Coordinated international repatriation flights arranged for passengers from 14 nations
Multiple repatriation flights were organized for passengers from the MV Hondius bound for the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands. A Spanish Defense Ministry aircraft arrived to evacuate Spanish nationals to Madrid. The evacuation operations were designed to prevent any contact between passengers and the local population.
Five French nationals to be repatriated by medical evacuation flight from Canary Islands
The French Health and Foreign Affairs ministries announced that five French citizens aboard the MV Hondius would be repatriated by medical evacuation flight on May 10, 2026. The transfer would follow WHO health protocols and WHO recommendations. The Île-de-France Regional Health Agency would organize the reception of French nationals upon arrival.
Temporary maritime exclusion zone established around cruise ship during evacuation
Spanish authorities created a temporary maritime exclusion zone around the MV Hondius at its arrival in Tenerife to ensure controlled evacuation operations and prevent unauthorized access to the vessel during the passenger and crew disembarkation process.
French Prime Minister convenes government meeting to discuss hantavirus response
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu scheduled a meeting at Matignon on May 10, 2026 to review the situation regarding the hantavirus outbreak. The meeting included Health Minister Stéphanie Rist, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, the Île-de-France Regional Health Agency director Denis Robin, and Director General of Health Didier Lepelletier.
Spanish Health Minister announces systematic evacuation protocol for cruise ship passengers
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García Gómez detailed the evacuation plan for the MV Hondius. Spanish passengers would disembark first, wearing FFP2 masks, followed by other passengers in staggered and orderly groups without their baggage. Passengers would be transported to shore in small boats in groups of five, then conveyed to Tenerife-South Airport approximately 10 minutes away for repatriation.
WHO Director-General personally arrives in Canary Islands to oversee evacuation operations
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, arrived in Tenerife, Canary Islands on the evening of May 9, 2026 to supervise the evacuation of passengers and crew from the MV Hondius. He committed that the organization would ensure the evacuation operation would succeed.
All cruise ship passengers classified as high-risk contacts requiring 42-day monitoring
The World Health Organization designated all passengers and crew members aboard the MV Hondius as high-risk contacts requiring active surveillance and monitoring for 42 days. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director for epidemic and pandemic prevention and preparedness, stated this classification during social media communications.
Cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at Granadilla port in Tenerife, Canary Islands for passenger evacuation
The MV Hondius cruise ship approached the port of Granadilla in southern Tenerife, Canary Islands on May 10, 2026, to permit evacuation of passengers and part of the crew before continuing to the Netherlands. The ship anchored near the port to facilitate the evacuation process.
Hantavirus outbreak detected on cruise ship MV Hondius with six confirmed cases and three deaths
An outbreak of hantavirus was detected aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. The World Health Organization confirmed six cases among eight suspected cases, including three deaths. Hantavirus is a rare but known virus with no vaccine or treatment that can cause acute respiratory syndrome.
President Trump states hantavirus outbreak is under control
President Donald Trump stated on Thursday and Friday that the hantavirus situation appears to be under control. Trump said 'We have a lot of great people studying it' and that 'it should be fine, we hope.' When asked if Americans should be concerned about the virus spreading, Trump responded, 'I hope not. We'll do the best we can.'
MV Hondius cruise ship experiences hantavirus outbreak with three confirmed deaths
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three suspected cases. Three individuals have died from the infection. The ship was bound for the Canary Islands with approximately 140-150 passengers and crew members from 28 countries on board.
Infected cruise passenger's contact with KLM flight attendant results in negative hantavirus test
A KLM flight attendant who had brief contact with an infected cruise passenger on a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on April 25 tested negative for hantavirus. The flight attendant had subsequently fallen ill, raising concerns about person-to-person transmission. The infected passenger, a Dutch woman whose husband died on the ship, was too ill to remain on the flight and was taken off in Johannesburg, where she died.
Spanish woman tests positive for hantavirus after contact with infected cruise passenger
A woman in the southeastern Spanish province of Alicante developed symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection and tested positive. She was a passenger on the same KLM flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam as the Dutch woman who died from the infection after disembarking the cruise ship. The Spanish woman was seated two rows behind the deceased passenger.
World Health Organization classifies outbreak as lowest-level emergency response
The WHO classified the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak as a Level 3 emergency response, its lowest classification level. WHO officials stated that the outbreak does not represent the start of a pandemic and that the risk to the wider public remains extremely low. WHO spokespersons emphasized that this situation is not comparable to COVID-19.
CDC confirms none of evacuated American passengers show hantavirus symptoms
As of the reporting date, none of the 17 American passengers on the MV Hondius had shown symptoms of hantavirus infection. The CDC will provide exposure risk assessments for the American passengers to help determine the level of monitoring needed upon their arrival in Nebraska.
U.S. states monitoring returned cruise ship passengers with no reported symptoms
Health agencies in five U.S. states are monitoring residents who previously disembarked from the MV Hondius and returned home, as well as people who may have come into contact with those passengers. The states monitoring cases are Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, and California. As of the reporting date, none of the monitored individuals had shown symptoms of hantavirus infection.
Andes strain hantavirus detected in cruise ship outbreak shows limited person-to-person transmission potential
The hantavirus strain identified in the MV Hondius outbreak is the Andes virus (ANDV), which is unusual because it is one of the few hantavirus strains capable of limited person-to-person transmission, unlike most variants that are spread through inhalation of rodent-contaminated dust. The CDC noted this is the only hantavirus strain known to spread between people, though transmission is generally limited to close contact with infected individuals.
Over two dozen cruise ship passengers disembarked without contact tracing before outbreak detection
On April 24, more than two dozen passengers from at least 12 different countries left the MV Hondius at St. Helena without contact tracing procedures. It was not until May 2 that health authorities first confirmed hantavirus in a ship passenger, nearly two weeks after the first death on board. This delay in detection complicated epidemiological tracking efforts.
United States announces evacuation of 17 Americans from hantavirus-stricken cruise ship
The U.S. government announced plans to deploy an emergency aircraft to evacuate approximately 17 American citizens stranded on the MV Hondius. The evacuation was coordinated with Spanish authorities and planned to commence when the ship docked at Tenerife in the Canary Islands on May 10. The CDC and Department of Health and Human Services chartered the evacuation flight.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
French government convenes crisis coordination meeting on hantavirus response
France activates government-level crisis coordination for hantavirus outbreak response and passenger repatriation.
Andes hantavirus shows 30-50 percent mortality rate in outbreak cases
Andes hantavirus shows 30-50 percent mortality rate; human-to-human transmission capability documented.
MV Hondius departs Canary Islands following passenger evacuation completion
MV Hondius departs Canary Islands after completing passenger evacuation; ship proceeds to Rotterdam for disinfection.
Twenty-two contact cases identified as nations enforce 42-day quarantine protocols
Twenty-two French contact cases and 42-day WHO quarantine protocols establish systematic international monitoring for cruise ship passengers.
Hantavirus cases rise to eight with three confirmed deaths
Eight hantavirus cases confirmed with three deaths; French, American, and Dutch nationals among documented infections.
Secondary hantavirus cases confirmed across continents post-evacuation
Secondary hantavirus cases confirmed in evacuated passengers across multiple countries.
Spanish authorities screen passengers as evacuation coordination intensifies
Spanish health screening accelerates as eight confirmed cases lead to coordinated international evacuation and isolation protocols.
Over 100 passengers disembark as WHO classifies contacts as high-risk
WHO classifies MV Hondius passengers as high-risk contacts as final disembarkation phase concludes with 100+ passengers leaving ship.
Hantavirus outbreak stabilizes with three confirmed deaths as international evacuation concludes
MV Hondius evacuation complete with three deaths; passengers from 14 nations repatriated for 42-day monitoring.
France repatriates five cruise ship passengers in coordinated hantavirus response
France repatriated five hantavirus-exposed cruise ship passengers and activated governmental crisis coordination.
Rodent exposure and symptom delays shape hantavirus outbreak assessments
Rodent exposure caused outbreak; eight-week symptom delays challenge detection; CDC alerts amid WHO's low global risk assessment.