The Spanish government has authorised the urgent medical evacuation of the doctor aboard the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, who is in a critical condition after contracting hantavirus. The transfer, coordinated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union, will see the doctor flown to the Canary Islands in a specially equipped hospital aircraft.
The decision follows a formal request from the Dutch government, under whose flag the ship sails. Spain’s Ministry of Health confirmed the move on social media, stating that the doctor would be transported to the archipelago later the same day. The ship itself is currently sailing in waters near Cape Verde, having departed from Argentina and detected multiple cases of hantavirus during its Atlantic crossing.
Humanitarian Operation Underway
The WHO and the EU had appealed to Spain to accept the vessel, citing international law and a “humanitarian spirit”. Cape Verde lacks the medical infrastructure to manage an outbreak of this scale, making the Canary Islands the nearest location with adequate resources. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is conducting a thorough assessment of the ship to determine which passengers and crew require immediate evacuation in Cape Verde and which can continue to the Canary Islands.
According to the WHO, there are 147 passengers and crew on board. So far, seven cases linked to the outbreak have been identified: two laboratory-confirmed and five suspected. The toll includes three deaths, one patient in critical condition, and three people with mild symptoms. The first symptoms appeared between 6 and 28 April, characterised by fever and gastrointestinal issues, with rapid progression in some cases to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock.
Once the ship arrives in the Canary Islands—expected in three to four days—all remaining passengers and crew will be examined and treated according to a common protocol developed by the WHO and the ECDC. The protocol includes specific health and transport circuits, “avoiding all contact with the local population and guaranteeing the safety of health personnel at all times”, the Spanish health ministry said. The operation also covers the subsequent repatriation of passengers and crew to their home countries, including several Spanish nationals, once medical and epidemiological evaluations are complete.
This outbreak is part of a broader health alert. The WHO is also tracing more than 80 passengers who were on a flight to Johannesburg that included a 69-year-old Dutch woman who later died from hantavirus. She had been evacuated from the island of St Helena after developing symptoms and was flown on 25 April aboard an Airlink plane carrying 82 passengers and six crew members. She died the next day, and her infection was confirmed days later.
For more context on the wider response, see our earlier coverage: Hantavirus Cruise Ship Evacuees to Be Flown to Netherlands, Timeline Uncertain and Hantavirus Outbreak on Dutch Cruise Ship: European Health Agency Says Risk to Public Remains Very Low.
Understanding Hantavirus
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents and transmitted to humans primarily through inhalation of particles from dried droppings, urine, or saliva. The risk increases when these materials become airborne or through direct contact with infected animals. Infection can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, dizziness, chills, and gastrointestinal symptoms. In later stages, it can progress to severe respiratory distress and hypotension, making it a medical emergency.
The incubation period is typically two to four weeks but can range from one to eight weeks. There is no specific treatment, and the virus has several variants, with the American variant being the most severe. Human-to-human transmission is very rare and, when it has occurred, requires close and prolonged contact. For a deeper dive into the disease, read our explainer: Hantavirus: Symptoms, Spread, and the Cruise Ship Outbreak Explained.
