The luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, sailing towards the Canary Islands, is currently facing a deadly outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union’s request, the cruise ship departed from Cape Verde on Wednesday and is expected to anchor near Tenerife Island between 03:00 and 05:00 Greenwich Mean Time on Sunday (corresponding to 11:00 pm to 1:00 am Eastern Time on Saturday night to Sunday morning).
In response to the situation, the Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced that Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will be sending special flights to evacuate their citizens aboard the ship. The EU is deploying two additional planes to facilitate the evacuation of other European nationals, while the United States and the United Kingdom have confirmed arrangements for charter flights and emergency plans to assist non-EU citizens without means of transportation to return to their home countries.
The Spanish authorities have cautioned that due to an impending storm, sea conditions are expected to deteriorate from next Monday and continue through the end of May. Therefore, all evacuation operations must be completed within the “golden window” from noon on Sunday to Monday afternoon.
The current outbreak has resulted in eight confirmed cases, including three fatalities – a Dutch couple and a German citizen. The hantavirus strain detected in this outbreak, unlike the typical strains transmitted through rodent excrement, can be spread through close interpersonal contact in rare cases. The incubation period is longer, and symptoms usually appear within 1 to 8 weeks after exposure.
Health Minister Monica Garcia stated that all passengers and 17 crew members will be evacuated, leaving only 30 crew members on board for thorough disinfection before heading to the Netherlands. Spanish citizens will disembark first, while the remaining passengers will be able to leave the ship only after their respective countries’ charter flights are ready.
Emergency Services Coordinator Virginia Barcones emphasized that passengers will disembark at the Granadilla industrial port, away from residential areas, and enter a “completely sealed-off isolation area.” They will then be transported directly to the airport in supervised sealed vehicles without contact with the local population throughout the process.
To address the concerns of local residents, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote a letter to the Tenerife community on Saturday, attempting to alleviate anxiety. He clarified that the hantavirus outbreak is not another COVID-19 pandemic but stressed that the current risk level to public health is categorized as “low.”
Despite these reassurances, there are mixed reactions among the public. Some groups question whether the Canary Islands should be a “health laboratory for Europe,” while passengers on the ship are worried about potential social stigmatization upon disembarkation. Currently, health authorities across four continents are closely monitoring over twenty passengers who were onboard before the initial detection of the outbreak on May 2 to prevent further spread of the virus.