Cruise liner with hantavirus outbreak arrived in Tenerife. Passengers evacuated and sent to their countries
The Dutch vessel MV Hondius arrived at the port of Granadilla on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Sunday morning, with an outbreak of the dangerous hantavirus confirmed on board and three people dead.
Spanish Civil Guard officers at the port of Granadilla await the arrival of MV Hondius passengers. Tenerife, Canary Islands, May 9, 2026. Photo: AP Photo / Manu Fernandez
Spanish authorities, in cooperation with the WHO, have developed a strict safety protocol for disembarking people. The vessel is anchored at the maximum distance from the pier, and passengers will be brought ashore in small boats, 10 people at a time.
The first to leave the board were 14 Spaniards, who were immediately sent to a military hospital for complete isolation and PCR testing.
For other foreigners, Germany, France, the USA, and other countries have already dispatched special flights to evacuate their citizens immediately after medical checks.
Despite protests from local residents held the day before, the WHO insists that the risk to public health on the island remains low.
Hantavirus, carried by rodents, causes severe lung and kidney damage. There is no specific treatment, and mortality in some forms of the disease reaches 40%.
Currently, no new symptoms have been detected in those remaining on board, however, three patients were urgently evacuated during a stop in Cabo Verde.
The liner, which departed from Argentina on April 1, became the site of a tragedy: three people died from the infection there — an elderly couple from the Netherlands and a German citizen.
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Праблема ў тым, што інкубацыйны перыяд у хантавіруса занадта доўгі - да 8 тыдняў, таму цягнецца ўся гэтая бадзяга з пасажырамі лайнера