Spain confirms hantavirus-stricken ship may dock after three evacuees

Three people with suspected hantavirus, including a British doctor, have been medically evacuated from a cruise ship.

The British crew member, a Dutch colleague and another passenger were taken from the Dutch‑flagged MV Hondius for onward travel to the Netherlands, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Spanish health officials said the British medic was in a more stable condition after previously being critical.

The evacuation allows the ship, carrying close to 150 people, to resume its three‑day voyage to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for the vessel to dock. However, a dispute has arisen, with the president of the Canary Islands expressing concern over the ship docking in Tenerife.

While arrangements were made to evacuate the crew, the ship had been anchored off Cape Verde.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director‑general, posted on X: “Three suspected hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands in coordination with WHO, the ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.

“WHO continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow‑up and evacuation where needed.

“Monitoring and follow‑up for passengers onboard and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities. At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.”

A Dutch couple and a German national who had been on the ship have died, and a British national is in intensive care in South Africa.

UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK had been working with other countries to facilitate evacuations and that Foreign Office staff were in direct contact with British nationals aboard. “The Foreign Office is working urgently to support the UKHSA’s work overseas and to make sure British nationals on the MV Hondius can all get safely home with proper protection for public health,” she said.

Since the start of the outbreak, WHO has stressed that the risk to the public is low. Infection usually occurs through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva, and human‑to‑human transmission is rare. Limited spread among close contacts has been seen in some previous outbreaks involving the Andes strain, which has circulated in South America, including Argentina, where the cruise began in March.

South Africa’s health ministry said contact tracing is under way, with 62 contacts identified, including flight crew and healthcare workers. Those contacts will be monitored until the incubation period ends; none have been diagnosed with hantavirus so far.