Tenerife: A cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak arrived off Spain's Tenerife Island, where passengers and crew are set to disembark and return to their home countries, media reports said early Sunday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the MV Hondius reached waters near Granadilla Port early Sunday at around 5.30 am local time (0430GMT), with authorities preparing a large-scale medical and evacuation operation. Health officials reported six passengers with confirmed hantavirus infections and two others as suspected cases, with three fatalities, including two on board.
The ship carries a total of 150 people, including 38 crew members from the Philippines, and passengers from various countries, such as 23 from the UK, 17 from the US, 14 from Spain, 11 from the Netherlands, eight from Germany, and five each from France and Ukraine. The remaining passengers include four each from Canada and Australia, three from Trkiye, two each from India, Belgium, and Ireland, and one each from Greece, Poland, Portugal, Montenegro, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Argentina, and Guatemala.
Passengers, all currently asymptomatic, will be transferred in small groups by boats to shore for medical screening before boarding repatriation flights. Officials stated that passengers will be assessed and checked for symptoms, and an epidemiological questionnaire will be conducted.
Authorities confirmed that the ship will remain anchored offshore, with passengers transported in groups of five to the airport located about 6 miles away. Spanish nationals are expected to be among the first evacuated, with some transferred to a military hospital in Madrid for quarantine lasting between one and two weeks, depending on medical evaluations. Seventeen US passengers will be flown to the US and monitored at a specialized quarantine unit in Nebraska.
An American oncologist on board, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, assisted passengers after the ship's doctor became infected, describing the situation as a rapidly escalating medical crisis, according to ABC News. Kornfeld reported that one patient died within 24 hours of his involvement, while others, including the ship's doctor and a staff member, showed worsening symptoms.
Despite the outbreak, no US passengers had tested positive for the virus as of Saturday, according to US health authorities. Kornfeld highlighted the cooperation among passengers during the crisis. US officials stated that passengers arriving in Nebraska will be evaluated at the National Quarantine Unit, although mandatory quarantine is not expected.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the outbreak as a Level 3 emergency response. The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, with five confirmed cases, including three deaths, according to World Health Organization (WHO) officials. Scientists confirmed the outbreak was caused by the rare Andes variant of hantavirus, capable of human-to-human transmission through close contact.
The WHO reported that two passengers who later died had traveled through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay before boarding the ship. CDC officials stated that passengers will be monitored for about six weeks, reflecting the incubation period of the virus, while health authorities in several US states are also tracking travelers who had already left the vessel before the outbreak was confirmed.