Hantavirus update: US to repatriate Americans from MV Hondius as confirmed cases rise to six

The US government is preparing a charter repatriation flight for the remaining 17 American passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship as the vessel approaches Tenerife amid the ongoing hantavirus outbreak. 

The expedition ship is expected to arrive off the coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands early on Sunday, according to operator Oceanwide Expeditions. Spanish authorities are preparing a tightly controlled evacuation operation involving 147 passengers and crew still on board. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has deployed epidemiologists and medical professionals to Tenerife to conduct exposure risk assessments for American passengers once the ship arrives. 

US passengers will then be flown to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska before being transferred to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre. The federally funded facility is designed to monitor people exposed to high-consequence infectious diseases. 

A second CDC team will meet passengers in Nebraska to support ongoing public health screening and monitoring. Officials said none of the American passengers currently onboard are showing symptoms. 

The operation comes as the World Health Organization confirmed that six hantavirus cases linked to the outbreak have now been laboratory confirmed as Andes virus infections. Three deaths have been reported among eight officially recognised cases, representing a case fatality ratio of 38%. 

Authorities in Spain are also investigating an additional suspected case involving a woman in Alicante who travelled on the same flight as a passenger who later died in Johannesburg after leaving the ship.  

The WHO said the overall risk to the global population remains low, although the risk to passengers and crew onboard the vessel is considered “moderate”. 

British authorities are also coordinating the return of 22 UK passengers from the ship. The group is expected to be flown directly back to the UK from Tenerife on Sunday, following onboard testing and medical screening. Those returning to Britain are expected to self-isolate for 45 days. 

Spanish officials said the evacuation process must be completed rapidly due to deteriorating weather conditions forecast around Tenerife. Authorities warned that if the ship cannot complete disembarkation within the available window, rough seas could force it to leave the area for several weeks. 

Security measures have been increased at the port of Granadilla ahead of the ship’s arrival, with officials stressing that passengers will remain separated from local residents throughout the operation.