A Spanish passenger who was evacuated from the cruise ship due to suspected hantavirus infection tested positive while in quarantine.

One of the fourteen Spanish citizens evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship, who are currently under strict isolation at the Gómez Ulla Defense Hospital in Madrid, tested provisionally positive for hantavirus in their initial PCR test. The Minister of Health, Mónica García, clarified through her X account that the patient is "asymptomatic and in good general condition, under continuous clinical monitoring, and in accordance with established safety and epidemiological control protocols." The Minister of Health of Spain also emphasized that the other thirteen passengers "tested negative" and that health authorities are awaiting the "definitive results." The government of Pedro Sánchez specified that the 14 Spanish citizens evacuated from the MV Hondius will remain in quarantine for 42 days, during which tests will be repeated to monitor their health. The quarantine period, which began on May 6th, was originally scheduled to end on June 17th. However, the quarantine timeline is contingent on confirmation of the diagnosis: if the positive test for the Spanish passenger is confirmed and the others are considered close contacts, the health schedule will need to be restarted. The fourteen Spanish passengers arrived at the military medical center on Sunday afternoon after disembarking at the port of Granadilla de Abona, on the island of Tenerife. From there, a medical aircraft from the Armed Forces transported them to the Torrejón de Ardoz air base in Madrid, where they boarded buses escorted by security forces for their final admission to the hospital. A boat from the Spanish Civil Guard is seen as the MV Hondius cruise ship, affected by hantavirus, docks at the port of Granadilla de Abona, on the island of Tenerife. (Jorge Guerrero - AFP) The quarantine is part of the second phase of the operation following the disembarkation and repatriation of most of the passengers from the MV Hondius. There are 121 evacuees in quarantine in various countries. Three of them are infected. These include a French woman whose condition has worsened, and two US citizens, one with an asymptomatic positive test and another with mild symptoms. On board the cruise ship, which began its journey with 175 people, there was one Argentinian citizen who did not show any signs of infection and has already been evacuated. The MV Hondius cruise ship, registered in the Netherlands and affected by hantavirus, receives supplies from a vessel at the port of Granadilla de Abona, on the island of Tenerife. (Jorge Guerrero - AFP) The luxury cruise ship, which departed from Tierra del Fuego on April 1st and covered the route between Ushuaia and Cape Verde with intermediate stops at islands in the Atlantic, became a nightmare for passengers and crew: two men and one woman died after the start of the journey due to the illness. These include a Dutch couple and a German woman whose body remains on board. In addition, there are eight passengers hospitalized in healthcare centers in Johannesburg, Zurich, Düsseldorf, Paris, the United States, and the Netherlands, who were evacuated from the ship between the islands of Santa Elena, Cape Verde, and the Canary Islands. The strain detected among the infected is the Andes strain, the only one that can be transmitted from person to person after contact with the long-tailed mouse, which eliminates the virus through urine, feces, and saliva. Spain. Hantavirus.