Spanish Government Confirms New Hantavirus Case Linked to MV Hondius

The Spanish government announced on Monday a confirmed new case of hantavirus connected to the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was central to an outbreak earlier this month causing three fatalities. A Spanish national undergoing preventative quarantine in a Madrid hospital tested positive for the virus, as stated by the Health Ministry.

The recent case involves a ‘close contact’ of an individual tied to the initial outbreak. The patient has been monitored and isolated at Gómez Ulla Hospital. The positive detection occurred during routine testing of contacts linked to the outbreak. Consequently, the patient was moved to the high-level isolation unit at Gómez Ulla Hospital for specialized medical supervision, the statement noted.

Hantavirus is endemic in certain areas of South America but remains rare in humans and has never been reported on a cruise ship until now. Health officials globally and in the U.S. maintain efforts to alleviate concerns about a potential wider outbreak. The Spanish Health Ministry assured that the latest case does not alter the public risk level or current epidemiological measures since it pertains to someone already within its isolation system.

The hantavirus incubation period extends up to six weeks. Since the initial outbreak reporting to the World Health Organization on May 2, no new deaths have been reported.

As stated by Oceanwide Expeditions, twenty crew members and two medical staff members disembarked from the cruise ship in the Netherlands last week. The ship completed its seven-week, 8,500-mile journey afflicted with a rare disease resulting in 11 infections and three deaths. Currently, most passengers, including 18 Americans, are quarantined in their respective home countries.