The final passengers have disembarked from the virus-hit expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, while health authorities confirmed three additional positive hantavirus cases linked to the deadly outbreak.
The vessel departed Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday after the remaining six passengers, including four Australians, one British passenger and one New Zealander, left the ship alongside several crew members.
The outbreak has now been linked to three passenger deaths during the voyage, with two of those fatalities officially confirmed as hantavirus cases.
According to the World Health Organization, nine confirmed cases connected to the ship have now been identified, with two further suspected infections under investigation.
The latest confirmed infections include an American passenger and a French national who had already returned to their home countries before testing positive. Spanish authorities also said a quarantined passenger in Madrid had provisionally tested positive on Monday.
Health officials continue to stress that the overall risk of a widespread outbreak remains low, despite concerns over the rare Andes strain of hantavirus believed to have been contracted by some passengers during the cruise’s South American itinerary.
Hantaviruses are typically spread by rodents, although the Andes strain is one of the few known variants capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
Symptoms can include fever, severe fatigue, muscle pain, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.
International Repatriation Effort Continues
Large-scale repatriation operations remain ongoing for passengers and crew from more than 20 countries.
US health officials confirmed that a second American passenger repatriated from Tenerife had developed mild symptoms. Authorities said both infected passengers travelled in specialised “biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution”.
French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a French passenger isolating in Paris had seen her condition worsen, while authorities had already traced 22 close contacts.
Two British nationals with confirmed hantavirus infections are currently receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa.
Meanwhile, 20 Filipino crew members have now arrived in the Netherlands, with the Philippine Embassy confirming they would undergo testing and quarantine procedures. Officials said a total of 38 Filipino crew members would eventually require repatriation to the Philippines.
As of Monday evening, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said 27 people remained aboard the vessel, including 25 crew members and two medical staff.
Those still onboard include crew from the Philippines, Ukraine, Russia, Poland and the Netherlands. Ukrainian officials said their nationals would assist with sailing the ship back to the Netherlands before entering quarantine on arrival.
More than 90 passengers have already been repatriated from Tenerife over recent days.
Four Canadian passengers returned to British Columbia on Sunday after travelling via a charter flight to Quebec. Canadian authorities said the passengers would self-isolate and undergo monitoring for at least three weeks.
The US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed all 17 American citizens on a repatriation flight to Nebraska would undergo clinical assessment at a specialist medical facility. A British national residing in the United States was also onboard the flight.
Another seven American passengers had previously returned home and are currently being monitored by health authorities in their respective states.
WHO And US Officials Clash Over Response Measures
The outbreak has also triggered disagreement between international health officials and US authorities over the handling of the situation.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the United States’ decision not to fully follow WHO isolation guidance “may have risks”.
The WHO has recommended a 42-day isolation period for anyone leaving the MV Hondius.
However, acting US Centers for Disease Control director Jay Bhattacharya argued that authorities did not want to create unnecessary public alarm, stating that human-to-human transmission remained extremely rare and should not be compared to Covid-19.
Passengers leaving the ship in Tenerife were seen wearing protective gowns, surgical masks and medical caps during evacuation procedures.
Twenty British nationals repatriated to Manchester on Sunday were transferred to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside for a 72-hour isolation period. No symptoms have been reported among that group.
Spanish authorities also placed 14 Spanish passengers into mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid, while additional evacuation flights continued this week.
Another repatriation flight carrying 26 passengers and crew, including eight Dutch nationals, landed in the Netherlands on Sunday.
In a video message released by Oceanwide Expeditions, MV Hondius captain Jan Dobrogowski said the crew’s thoughts remained “with the ones that are no longer with us”.
He described the previous weeks as “extremely challenging” while thanking passengers and crew for their patience and discipline throughout the crisis.
Spanish officials also confirmed that a police officer involved in the repatriation operation died from cardiac arrest.
The outbreak began during the ship’s voyage after departing Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1st April with 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries onboard.
The first death involved an elderly Dutch passenger who died at sea on 11th April after developing symptoms consistent with hantavirus. He is believed to have been the outbreak’s initial case, although he died before testing could be completed.
His wife later disembarked on the island of St Helena before travelling to South Africa, where she died in Johannesburg on 26th April.
A German passenger later died onboard the ship on 2nd May. Both women were subsequently confirmed as hantavirus cases.
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