Spain confirms new hantavirus case among quarantined cruise passengers in Madrid
Spain's health ministry reported a new positive hantavirus test among Spanish passengers quarantined in Madrid after a cruise ship outbreak, with the asymptomatic patient moved to a high-level isolation unit.
Background
A fresh case of the rare Andes hantavirus has been detected in a Spanish citizen who was among passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship earlier this month. The vessel, which carried travellers of 19 nationalities, became the centre of an international health alert after the first infections were confirmed in early May. Passengers were repatriated or placed under medical surveillance upon docking.
- Passengers from MV Hondius evacuated in Tenerife, Spain, after a hantavirus outbreak is confirmed on board.
- French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirms a French patient is still in intensive care while other French tests remain negative.
- New asymptomatic hantavirus case confirmed among Spanish quarantined passengers in Madrid; patient transferred to high-level isolation unit.
The new case
The Spanish Health Ministry announced on Monday that one of the Spanish nationals already in preventive quarantine at Madrid's Gómez Ulla military hospital tested positive for hantavirus following a PCR check. The patient, who showed no symptoms, was immediately transferred to the hospital's High‑Level Isolation Unit (UATAN). Authorities stressed that the individual had been under clinical monitoring and isolation since admission, in line with protocols of the Early Warning and Rapid Response System.
The affected person had been under clinical surveillance and isolation since admission, in accordance with protocols established by the Early Warning and Rapid Response System.
The detection occurred during routine diagnostic controls of close contacts being tracked by epidemiologists. Because the case was identified inside the already active containment framework, officials said there is no change in risk to the general population and no alteration to the response measures in place.
Quarantine and follow‑up
This is the second confirmed infection among the 14 Spanish nationals who sailed on the MV Hondius and were evacuated upon arrival in Tenerife on 10 May. The first patient, a 70‑year‑old man, is improving and is now “practically asymptomatic,” according to Health Minister Mónica García. He remains in the isolation unit under strict supervision.
The 12 other contacts still hospitalised will be allowed to leave their rooms for common areas and receive family visits if their next tests come back negative, always under sanitary precautions. Regarding possible home quarantine, García noted that protocol requires an initial 28‑day hospital stay, after which authorities may assess a domestic alternative.
First 28 days will be hospital quarantine, and then we can evaluate whether that quarantine can be done at home.
International dimension
Globally, 12 cases of hantavirus have been linked to the MV Hondius outbreak, spanning passengers from 19 countries. France evacuated five citizens; one of them, a woman, remains in intensive care, while the other four continue to test negative.
The French patient who tested positive is still in intensive care.
Rist added that the remaining French evacuees' results are still negative, offering hope that cross‑border containment efforts are working.
Looking ahead
With the new Spanish case asymptomatic and swiftly isolated, health authorities are maintaining confidence in the existing quarantine protocols. The incident underscores the challenges of managing rare zoonotic infections in an era of global travel, yet the coordinated response by Spanish, French and other health agencies appears to be containing the threat.
