The hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius adds a new confirmed case. One of the suspected patients has tested positive in recent hours, which raises to six the confirmed infections in an episode that remains under international surveillance.
WHO warns of a strain with human-to-human transmission
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already raised to eight the cases linked to the outbreak and has confirmed that it is the Andes strain, the only known variant of hantavirus with the capacity for person-to-person transmission, which increases health concerns.
Among the latest confirmed cases is a Swiss citizen who left the cruise ship before the outbreak was detected and who is currently being treated in Zurich.
Quarantine in Madrid for Spanish passengers
The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has reiterated that the 14 Spaniards who remain on board will undergo medical tests upon their arrival in the Canary Islands before being transferred to Madrid.
All of them are asymptomatic and have accepted a voluntary quarantine, which will be carried out at the Gómez Ulla Hospital, following the protocol approved by the Public Health Commission.
During this period, passengers will remain isolated in individual rooms, with daily medical checks and periodic PCR tests. In case of developing symptoms, they will be transferred to specialized high-isolation units.
An international operation with more than 20 countries involved
The Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, has detailed that the device for the arrival of the ship includes the transfer of passengers by boat from the vessel to dry land.
Subsequently, Spanish citizens will be evacuated on a military plane to Madrid, while the Government coordinates with 22 countries the repatriation of the rest of the passengers, which exceed one hundred.
Cases under surveillance in Spain
Health authorities are also investigating possible infections outside the ship. In Alicante, a woman who shared a flight with one of the deceased is being monitored as a suspected case.
In addition, another person who traveled on that same plane is being sought, spent several days in Barcelona and subsequently returned to South Africa, with their health status currently unknown.
Concern in Tenerife over the ship's arrival
The arrival of the MV Hondius has generated concern in the Canary Islands. Port workers from Santa Cruz and Granadilla have warned of possible protests due to the lack of information about the health device.
Added to this is that the shipping company Oceanwide has confirmed that at least 30 passengers had previously disembarked on the island of Saint Helena, including the first deceased from the outbreak, when the cause of his death was not yet known.
An outbreak under control, but under constant surveillance
Despite the increase in confirmed cases, Health insists that the risk to the general population remains low, although it maintains all protocols activated to prevent possible expansion.
The focus remains on controlling contacts and the evolution of confirmed cases, in an outbreak that has already forced the activation of one of the largest recent health devices in Spain.