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Hondius Outbreak: Ship Sails for Rotterdam as Spain Confirms One Case

Officials say the risk of wider spread is very low.

Overview

  • Spain’s health ministry confirmed one asymptomatic hantavirus case from the cruise evacuees in Madrid, and tests for 13 other Spaniards were negative with more lab checks pending.
  • The Dutch‑flagged Hondius has departed Tenerife bound for Rotterdam for full disinfection, and the operator expects a roughly six‑day voyage with arrival planned for Sunday.
  • Repatriations are underway through Eindhoven, including 19 crew on a Dutch government charter accompanied by a doctor and two epidemiology experts and six passengers on an Australian flight for temporary quarantine.
  • Authorities report three passenger deaths linked to the incident, including a German woman whose body is being transported on the ship to the Netherlands.
  • Health agencies count at least eight confirmed infections and two probable across several countries, and Dutch clinicians who treated a patient placed 12 staff in precautionary isolation after a procedural error, while WHO says most hantaviruses spread from rodent waste rather than between people.