First case of hantavirus in the United States after the evacuation of the MV Hondius: a passenger repatriated from Canarias tests positive

The Department of Health of the United States confirmed this Sunday the first case of hantavirus detected among American citizens evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by an outbreak of a variant during its voyage. According to what health authorities detailed, one of the 17 passengers repatriated from Tenerife tested positive in a PCR test, while another presents mild symptoms and remains under medical surveillance. The cruise ship remains at the center of the international health alert initiated after several cases related to the virus were detected.

The confirmation of the contagion represents the first official positive communicated by Estados Unidos since the beginning of the organized evacuations after the arrival of the ship in Canarias. Until now, the Ministerio de Sanidad, the Organización Mundial de la Salud and the shipping company Oceanwide Expeditions had assured that none of the more than 140 people who remained aboard the MV Hondius had shown evident symptoms of the virus. The confirmed case has raised the concern of international health authorities, especially due to the transmission capacity associated with the Andes variant of hantavirus.

US authorities now keep under surveillance the rest of the evacuated passengers and apply quarantine and epidemiological control protocols similar to those recommended by the WHO. The passengers were transferred from Canarias on flights coordinated by different governments after the activation of the international repatriation device. While health investigations continue, experts try to determine the real scope of the outbreak and if new contagions could appear in other countries linked to the evacuation of the cruise ship.