Health authorities confirmed three more hantavirus cases as the final passengers disembarked from the virus-hit MV Hondius.
The last passengers aboard the MV Hondius have left the cruise ship after a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the vessel. The ship departed Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday after its remaining six passengers disembarked alongside several crew members.
Authorities confirmed three new positive hantavirus cases connected to the cruise ship outbreak. Health officials said one Spanish passenger quarantining in Madrid tested provisionally positive, while an American and a French passenger who had already returned home also tested positive.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), seven confirmed hantavirus cases and two suspected infections are now linked to the MV Hondius outbreak. Three passengers have died, including two who were confirmed to have contracted the virus.
US health officials said two American passengers travelled in biocontainment units during repatriation flights after one developed mild symptoms. In France, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirmed a female passenger remains isolated in Paris and her condition is worsening.
Hantavirus is typically spread by rodents, but the Andes strain linked to the outbreak can spread between humans. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.
The outbreak began after passengers travelled through South America, where health officials believe exposure occurred. The WHO has recommended 42 days of isolation for passengers and crew, although US authorities have adopted a less restrictive approach.
The MV Hondius is now heading to the Netherlands with 27 people still onboard, including crew members and medical staff under monitoring.
Health officials say the risk of a wider public outbreak remains low, but international monitoring efforts continue.