The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a new hantavirus case linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, bringing the total number of suspected and confirmed infections to 12, including three deaths.
A crew member who disembarked in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands was repatriated to the Netherlands, where the infection was later confirmed, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.
“Today, the Netherlands confirmed an additional case among a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife, was repatriated to the Netherlands and has been isolating since then,” he told a press briefing.
He added that no new deaths had been reported since 2 May, when the outbreak was first notified to the WHO.
Dr Tedros said health authorities were continuing close monitoring efforts across multiple countries. “We continue to urge affected countries to monitor all passengers and crew carefully for the remainder of the quarantine period,” he said.
He also said more than 600 contacts were still being traced across 30 countries, with a small number of high-risk contacts yet to be located.
Dutch health authorities confirmed the infected crew member had been admitted to hospital as a precaution. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said the person, who tested positive while in home quarantine, was now in isolation.
“The Andes virus has been detected in one person who was in quarantine in the Netherlands,” the RIVM said, adding that the diagnosis had been confirmed by two separate laboratories. It said the risk of wider transmission in the country remained very low.
The Andes strain is the only form of hantavirus known to be capable of human-to-human transmission.
Authorities said all passengers evacuated from the Dutch-flagged vessel were being tested weekly. They also urged calm as monitoring continued.
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia in Argentina on 1 April, travelling through remote South Atlantic islands before heading to Cape Verde and then Tenerife. It later docked in Rotterdam on Monday, where a reduced crew began quarantine.
Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents and is considered rare. There are currently no vaccines or specific treatments available.
