Hantavirus-hit ship evacuation completed as quarantines begin

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The passengers and crew have disembarked from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius in Tenerife and many have returned to their home countries, as the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said the operation demonstrated a “triumph of solidarity”.

The repatriation effort, coordinated by Spanish authorities with support from WHO, the European Union, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and multiple governments, marked the end of an emergency operation that has gripped global health attention for weeks following an outbreak of Andes hantavirus aboard the vessel.

As of Monday, WHO said there had been nine cases linked to the ship, including seven laboratory-confirmed infections and three deaths. One additional case remained under investigation following an inconclusive test result.

Click here for WHO’s factsheet on hantavirus

Operation executed ‘as planned’

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was in Tenerife leading an emergency response team, praised Spain’s handling of the operation. He said the disembarkation had been carried out “in style and as planned”.

“This is the triumph of solidarity,” he said, thanking the Spanish Government, European partners, the authorities in Tenerife and the ship’s crew for their coordination and cooperation throughout the crisis.

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The final groups of passengers left the Canary Islands aboard specially arranged flights on Monday, while more than 30 crew members and two health workers remained on board as the vessel continued onward to its home port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

No commercial flights

WHO officials stressed that none of the passengers travelled on commercial flights and urged countries receiving returning citizens to implement strict monitoring measures.

The agency calls for 42 days of quarantine or isolation from 10 May, either at home or in dedicated facilities, reflecting the virus’s long incubation period and the possibility of delayed symptoms.

“What I believe is countries will do everything to protect their citizens,” Tedros said. “The guidance is clear. It’s 42 days of isolation.”

Health experts explained that the prolonged monitoring period is intended to prevent any further spread of the virus, which can become infectious at the very start of symptoms.

The next phase

Tedros said the operation had now entered a longer monitoring phase, with WHO requesting countries involved to provide weekly updates through the International Health Regulations (IHR) platform on the health and wellbeing of passengers and crew.

“Continued international coordination is essential to protect everyone’s health,” he said.

A confined outbreak

Olivier Le Polain, WHO’s head of epidemiology and analytics, said the outbreak remained “well confined for now”, but warned that additional cases could still emerge in the coming days or weeks.

“We know the incubation period for hantavirus and Andes virus is very long,” he said during a WHO media briefing. “People can still develop symptoms much later on.”

WHO officials also noted the strain placed on passengers and crew during weeks at sea, saying repatriation was intended both to reduce transmission risks and ensure people received appropriate care and support.

“This is not another COVID,” Tedros said, urging countries to “continue to show your compassion and solidarity to your citizens.”