The majority of European passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship that experienced a hantavirus outbreak, have now returned to their home countries. They are undergoing medical assessments and beginning isolation periods that could last up to 42 days. The ship, which had 147 people on board from 23 nationalities, including 70 Europeans, docked in the Canary Islands on Sunday after an emergency was declared.
The coordinated repatriation effort involved the Spanish government, the World Health Organization, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. All passengers were tested for symptoms before being transported back to their respective nations. However, 54 people remain on the ship: 32 will travel by vessel and 22 by aircraft, all bound for the Netherlands, with six continuing on to Australia.
National Responses and Quarantine Measures
Spain, which hosted the ship's arrival, has placed its 14 citizens in the Military Hospital Gómez Ulla in Madrid, a facility equipped with a high-level isolation unit. The Spanish Health Ministry announced a 42-day quarantine with regular PCR tests to monitor for new cases. This follows a political standoff in Spain that nearly prevented the ship from docking.
France received five passengers on Sunday, and one began showing symptoms during transfer, later confirmed as a new hantavirus case. The French Health Ministry issued a decree on Monday placing all passengers from the ship in quarantine in a healthcare facility for medical and epidemiological assessment. After that, they will be isolated for 42 days. French authorities also warned that anyone who has been in contact with passengers or infected individuals may face quarantine or isolation measures if they pose a serious infection risk.
The Netherlands received 26 passengers by plane on Sunday, including eight Dutch nationals. After landing in Eindhoven, they were taken home for self-isolation for 42 days, according to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Non-residents are being accommodated in quarantine facilities. During isolation, passengers are allowed short walks outside, maintaining at least 1.5 meters distance and wearing face masks.
Germany had eight passengers on board, including one of the deceased. Four German passengers were transferred to a hospital in Frankfurt for examination before being sent to their respective federal states for quarantine, overseen by local health authorities and the Robert Koch Institut (RKI).
Belgium received two passengers on Sunday, who were taken to Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) for assessment. If asymptomatic, they will be monitored at home by Flemish health authorities. Greece's sole national, asymptomatic, is in precautionary quarantine at the Attikon General University Hospital of Athens for 45 days.
Ireland received two passengers who arrived in Dublin on Sunday and are in isolation at a medical facility for testing and monitoring. Irish health authorities reported they are “in good spirits and demonstrating no signs of symptoms.”
The United Kingdom is monitoring 20 British nationals, along with one German national who is a UK resident and one Japanese passenger, at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, northwest England. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is overseeing their care.
The outbreak has also led to a new case in France as the evacuation continues. The situation highlights the challenges of managing infectious diseases on international vessels, with European health systems coordinating to contain the spread of hantavirus, a rare but potentially fatal disease.
