12 hantavirus contacts discharged from Madrid hospital, one confirmed case remains under observation

Hospital discharge

All 12 people who had been kept in quarantine at the Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla in Madrid as contacts of hantavirus cases from the MV Hondius cruise ship were discharged on Sunday. They had tested negative in their latest PCR test, administered on Saturday, and were reported to be asymptomatic and in good general health throughout their monitoring period. The group includes five residents of Catalonia, who were transported to their homes with the necessary safety measures, according to the Catalan health department.

Home quarantine rules

The discharged contacts will now continue their quarantine at home. Under the epidemiological surveillance protocol, they must remain in isolation for an additional 14 days, completing a total of 42 days of quarantine. They are permitted to leave their homes occasionally while wearing a mask and observing prevention measures. The protocol requires twice-daily temperature checks and immediate reporting of any compatible symptoms: fever, cough, breathing difficulty, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, or lower back pain. Their homes must have a well-ventilated single room and a private bathroom.

The remaining hospitalised case

The second confirmed Spanish case remains in the High-Level Isolation Unit (UATAN) at Gómez Ulla under medical supervision. The patient, who tested positive on 25 May, has a low-grade fever but has not experienced any clinical deterioration. To be discharged, the patient must spend at least three days without symptoms and return two negative PCR tests (urine and oropharyngeal swab) taken 48 hours apart.

First recovered patient

The first Spanish passenger to test positive for hantavirus, a 70-year-old man who tested positive on 11 May, was discharged on Thursday 4 June after three asymptomatic days and two negative PCR tests. Unlike the contacts, he is not required to observe quarantine but will undergo six months of clinical follow-up with monthly blood samples, as studies on the Andes hantavirus strain indicate the virus can persist in blood for an extended period after clinical recovery. The virus can also persist in semen.

Background of the outbreak

The MV Hondius, an expedition cruise ship, suffered a severe outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus during a voyage that began in April 2026 from Ushuaia, Argentina. The health crisis resulted in three fatalities (two Dutch citizens and one German) and required an emergency international evacuation operation in the Canary Islands. The 12 Spanish contacts had been isolated at Gómez Ulla since 10 May 2026, which was designated day zero of the quarantine after a French passenger on board tested positive.

The passengers leaving the centre will continue the quarantine established by health authorities at their homes.

Ongoing monitoring

Once the contacts complete their home quarantine and remain asymptomatic, a sample will be taken and analysed by the National Centre for Microbiology. Only after a negative result can surveillance measures end and normal activity fully resume. The Catalan health department confirmed that the public health and medical emergency response system remains active in coordination with national health authorities.