Hantavirus Update: American tests positive as passengers return to US

Countries around the world on Monday continued repatriating passengers from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, isolating or quarantining travelers, including a French woman and an American who tested positive.

Passengers began flying home Sunday on military and government aircraft after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands. Crews in full protective suits and masks escorted travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, a process that continued into Monday.

The World Health Organization says three passengers have died and at least six cases of hantavirus have been confirmed. Lab results for the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.

Health officials stress that the risk to the broader public remains low in what is the first‑ever hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. There is no cure or vaccine, but early detection and treatment improve survival rates, according to WHO.

The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, released a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their resilience and asking for privacy.

READ MORE: Virginia traveler from hantavirus stricken cruise ship returns home, officials say

French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said Monday that a French woman who tested positive saw her condition worsen overnight in the hospital. She was one of five French passengers repatriated Sunday and developed symptoms during the flight to Paris.

In the United States, one of 18 passengers flown to Nebraska also tested positive but is not showing symptoms, while another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday.

After landing early Monday, the American passengers were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which houses a federally funded quarantine facility.

Medical teams began assessing each traveler to determine possible exposure and their risk of spreading the virus.

The medical center also operates a specialized infectious‑disease unit previously used for Ebola patients and early COVID‑19 cases.

Planes arriving in Tenerife were scheduled to fly out passengers from more than 20 countries, with the evacuation expected to conclude Monday.

A Dutch aircraft arriving Monday afternoon will carry passengers who were originally set to leave on an Australian plane, Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García said.

As of Monday, 54 passengers and crew remained on the ship. Officials say 22 were expected to disembark, while 32 will stay aboard as the vessel returns to the Netherlands.

South African health officials said a British man hospitalized in Johannesburg after being evacuated April 27 is gradually improving.

The Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. A Dutch passenger died on board April 11. WHO did not publicly confirm it was responding to a suspected hantavirus outbreak until early May, when the ship was near Cape Verde.

Hantavirus typically spreads through rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. However, the Andes virus identified in this outbreak may spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms, including fever, chills and muscle aches, usually appear one to eight weeks after exposure.

WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday that the public should not be alarmed.

WHO recommends that countries conduct daily health checks on returning passengers, either at home or in specialized facilities, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the agency’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.

Several nations have already said their citizens will be quarantined or hospitalized for monitoring.