The European early warning system Early Warning Response System has identified two people who traveled on a flight close to a patient who later died of hantavirus and whose final destination included Spain, as reported by the Minister of Health, Mónica Garcí, through a message on her official X social media account.
In the tracking and notification efforts of the Early Warning Respond System, it has been detected that two people who traveled near a patient who subsequently died of hantavirus on a commercial flight had Spain as their final destination.
— Mónica García (@Monica_Garcia_G) May 8, 2026
One of them, located in Alicante, has…
A case under monitoring in Alicante
One of the people located, a resident of Alicante, presents mild symptoms compatible with the infection and has been preventively isolated.
The patient is under observation while the National Center for Microbiology analyzes the diagnostic samples, following the protocol approved by the Public Health Commission.
Health authorities have activated the usual control procedures, which include preventive isolation and epidemiological study to rule out or confirm the infection.
A second contact under international coordination
The second identified case corresponds to a person who stayed a few days in Barcelona before returning to South Africa.
Health has indicated that coordination with international authorities is maintained for its location and monitoring, within the usual mechanisms of cooperation in cross-border health alerts.
Low risk for the population
The Ministry of Health insists that the risk to the general population is very low, and underlines that epidemiological surveillance systems are functioning correctly.
Likewise, it highlights the permanent coordination between the different national and international health authorities to act quickly in the face of any possible evolution of the case.