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Spain Leads Sealed Evacuation of Hantavirus-Struck MV Hondius With U.S. and U.K. Flights Set for Sunday

The WHO says the global risk remains low due to limited person-to-person spread.

Overview

  • An operation in Tenerife set for Sunday will keep passengers away from the public as the ship anchors off Granadilla and transfers run in sealed vehicles to waiting planes.
  • The WHO reports three deaths and five confirmed infections with three suspected cases tied to the Andes hantavirus, which can pass between people in close contact.
  • Health agencies are tracing travelers who left earlier in Saint Helena and airline contacts, including a Dutch flight attendant hospitalized in Amsterdam after assisting an infected passenger.
  • Spain is preparing legal grounds to impose quarantine on its 14 nationals, while the WHO and the ECDC recommend isolating cases and using active monitoring for contacts.
  • Incubation can last up to six weeks, so officials must decide when to start the clock as they set quarantine lengths for those exposed.