Among the cases, nine involved the Andes strain, a rare Hantavirus variant capable of limited human-to-human transmission.
Spain’s Ministry of Health also confirmed that another Spanish passenger evacuated from the ship tested positive for the virus.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of infections had not increased sharply over the past week thanks to coordinated international efforts. However, he cautioned that the situation could still evolve due to the virus’s relatively long incubation period of one to eight weeks after exposure.
After all passengers and most crew members were evacuated in Tenerife, Spain, the MV Hondius is now returning to the Netherlands for full disinfection and sanitation. According to operator Oceanwide Expeditions, a total of 87 passengers and 35 crew members were safely disembarked under strict control measures.
In the Netherlands, 12 medical staff members at Radboud University Medical Center have entered preventive quarantine for six weeks after improperly handling samples from an infected patient transferred from the ship.
