Hantavirus outbreak: Passengers flown home worldwide as global quarantine and monitoring intensify

US citizen tests positive

US health officials later confirmed that one of the 17 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship had tested positive for hantavirus, although the individual was not showing symptoms. The passengers were flown to Omaha, Nebraska, where they were to undergo assessment and quarantine procedures at the federally funded University of Nebraska quarantine facility. “One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring,” said Kayla Thomas, spokesperson for The Nebraska Medical Center.

International evacuations continue

International evacuation operations continued through Sunday and Monday. A Dutch evacuation flight carrying passengers from multiple countries, including India, landed in Eindhoven on Sunday evening, with passengers wearing masks and carrying belongings in white plastic bags. Australia also confirmed it was sending an aircraft to evacuate its citizens and others from nearby countries, while Norway dispatched a specialised medical plane with personnel trained to handle high-risk infections.

In a separate development, British Army medics parachuted into the remote South Atlantic territory of Tristan da Cunha after a resident who had travelled on the MV Hondius was suspected of contracting hantavirus. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities said a woman in Alicante suspected of infection later tested negative for the virus.

Passengers leaving the vessel were instructed to leave behind most of their belongings and carry only essential items such as documents, mobile phones and chargers. Spanish authorities said some crew members, along with the body of a passenger who died onboard, would remain on the ship as it sails to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for disinfection.

WHO recommendation

The WHO has recommended active monitoring and daily health checks for all passengers after they return home, either through home isolation or specialised quarantine facilities. Several countries, including the UK and France, have already announced strict quarantine measures for returning evacuees.

What is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus is typically spread through exposure to contaminated rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between humans. However, the Andes strain detected in the cruise ship outbreak may spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms can appear between one and eight weeks after exposure.

The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has so far infected several passengers and claimed three lives. However, the World Health Organization has urged calm, insisting that the risk to the wider public remains low. “This is not another COVID,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that people should not panic.