Overview
- Health officials confirmed on Monday that a second Spanish passenger from the MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus during routine PCR checks and was transferred to the Gómez Ulla hospital’s high‑level isolation unit (UATAN).
- The patient is asymptomatic and was already in preventive quarantine, and authorities say the detection inside the containment system does not raise the assessed risk to the general population.
- Spain’s follow‑up rules were updated to allow asymptomatic contacts with repeated negative PCRs to leave hospital after 28 days to finish a 42‑day monitoring period at home under public health supervision.
- The MV Hondius outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can rarely spread between people, so Spain and international partners continue repeated PCR surveillance, ship disinfection and coordinated evacuations.
- Thirteen cases and three deaths have been linked to the cruise so far, the WHO describes the situation as stable, and Spanish health officials say strict isolation and daily monitoring are protecting passengers and families.