Americans and Other Nationals Evacuated from Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship Off Spanish Island

Multiple countries evacuated citizens from the MV Hondius on May 11, 2026 after it docked in Tenerife, Spain. The outbreak involved six confirmed and two suspected hantavirus cases, with three deaths total. 17 Americans were flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for monitoring. The Dutch-owned ship will continue to Rotterdam for disinfection, carrying one body and luggage from the 147 passengers and crew aboard when the outbreak was reported May 2, 2026.

Passenger evacuation operations

• ▪The first plane carrying 14 Spanish passengers from the MV Hondius left Tenerife on May 11, 2026 for Madrid
• ▪Planes carrying French, Canadian and British passengers from the MV Hondius were preparing to depart Tenerife on May 11, 2026 evening
• ▪17 Americans aboard the MV Hondius are expected to be flown to the U.S. and monitored at the National Quarantine Unit on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center
• ▪The Dutch-owned MV Hondius, along with some crewmembers and the passengers' luggage, will continue on a five-day journey to Rotterdam in the Netherlands
• ▪American passengers aboard the MV Hondius began boarding buses on May 11, 2026 evening for evacuation flights out of Spain
• ▪Spanish passengers from the MV Hondius were taken to Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid
• ▪Passengers started evacuating the MV Hondius on May 11, 2026 shortly after the ship arrived in Tenerife

Hantavirus outbreak details

• ▪On May 2, 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness on board the MV Hondius was reported to the WHO
• ▪The MV Hondius left Ushuaia, Argentina in April 2026
• ▪A Dutch man died on board the MV Hondius on April 11, 2026
• ▪The Dutch man's wife died at a South African clinic on April 26, 2026
• ▪Hantavirus was confirmed in a passenger from the MV Hondius who had been medically evacuated to a hospital in South Africa on May 4, 2026
• ▪The MV Hondius had 147 passengers and crewmembers at the time the cluster of severe respiratory illness was reported on May 2, 2026
• ▪The average age of those aboard the MV Hondius is 65
• ▪A German woman died on board the MV Hondius on May 2, 2026

International quarantine protocols

• ▪French passengers from the MV Hondius will be sent to quarantine at home for 45 days
• ▪The WHO is recommending a 42-day quarantine period for passengers from the MV Hondius
• ▪Canadian passengers from the MV Hondius will self-isolate for at least 21 or up to 42 days in British Columbia
• ▪The four Canadian passengers from the MV Hondius will be taken to a predetermined location in British Columbia

Public health risk assessment

• ▪Hantavirus can have a fatality rate of around 40% to 50%