Spain Reports First Confirmed Hantavirus Case in Quarantined Passenger in Madrid

Spain's Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship, who was isolated at the Central Defense Hospital Gómez Ulla in Madrid, has tested positive for hantavirus. This marks the first confirmed case in Spain linked to the MV Hondius outbreak.

According to an official statement, "the patient who previously tested provisionally positive has now been confirmed as having hantavirus," while it was also noted that "definitive tests have shown 13 negative results" among the other Spaniards under observation at the same facility.

The patient, a male passenger rather than a crew member, exhibited mild fever and respiratory symptoms on Tuesday night. However, health officials stressed that "he is currently stable with no evident clinical deterioration."

The individual remains in isolation within the High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit (UATAN) at Gómez Ulla, located on the 22nd floor. This unit operates with negative pressure and follows strict biological safety protocols established following the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

The quarantine for the 14 Spaniards at the hospital began on May 6 and may extend up to 42 days—the maximum incubation period for the virus—potentially ending by June 17.

This case raises the number of confirmed positive cases associated with the cruise to nine, out of a total of 11 cases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) as of Tuesday. This includes two probable cases, with three fatalities and the outbreak affecting at least seven countries: the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States.

France reported a positive case on Monday among its five repatriated citizens: a woman who developed symptoms during her return flight and was admitted to intensive care in Paris, where her condition was critical on Tuesday.

In the United States, 17 passengers were flown from the Canary Islands to Nebraska on Monday; at least one tested positive without symptoms, while another developed symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert to medical professionals through its Health Alert Network.

In the Netherlands, two passengers from the Hondius tested positive, and 12 healthcare workers at Radboudumc hospital in Nijmegen were quarantined following a protocol error while treating an infected individual.

The outbreak originated aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. The vessel departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 with 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 different nationalities, embarking on a 46-day journey to Antarctica and the South Atlantic.

The Andes virus, responsible for the outbreak, is the only hantavirus strain among over 20 known variants with documented human-to-human transmission, though only through close and prolonged contact. The WHO has ruled out a pandemic risk, with Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Director of Epidemic Preparedness and Prevention, stating: "The risk to the general population is low. This is not a virus that spreads like flu or COVID."

The MV Hondius set sail from Granadilla Port in Tenerife, heading to Rotterdam, where it will undergo a disinfection process. The WHO has identified this incident as the first documented hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in history.