By Elsie Kamsiyochi
The final chapter of a weeks-long medical crisis aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius is nearing its conclusion, as the last remaining passengers prepare to disembark in Spain following a deadly hantavirus outbreak that sparked international concern and triggered a large-scale evacuation effort.
On Monday, the final six passengers aboard the vessel — including four Australians, one British resident living in Australia, and one New Zealander — were expected to leave the ship after enduring what many described as a tense and emotionally draining ordeal.
The group would be transported by smaller boats from the MV Hondius, anchored near Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, before boarding flights to the Netherlands, where they are set to begin a mandatory quarantine period.
The outbreak, linked to the rare and dangerous Andes strain of hantavirus, transformed what began as a luxury polar expedition into a global public health emergency involving multiple countries, emergency evacuations, and mounting fears of wider transmission.
The ship’s captain, Dutch national Jan Dobrogowski, praised both passengers and crew for remaining calm and cooperative throughout what he called an “extremely challenging” situation. In a video message released by Oceanwide Expeditions, the captain expressed gratitude for the resilience shown onboard.
“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said, acknowledging the patience and discipline of everyone involved during the prolonged crisis.
Alongside the remaining passengers, 19 crew members and three medical professionals who treated infected individuals were also expected to depart Tenerife for the Netherlands. The ship itself, carrying a reduced crew of 26, is due to continue onward to the Netherlands, where it will undergo a thorough disinfection process under health supervision.
The evacuation effort marks the end of a complicated operation that has seen 94 passengers and crew repatriated to their home countries over the past several days. The crisis unfolded 41 days after the vessel initially departed southern Argentina for its polar expedition, with the first confirmed hantavirus case emerging only nine days ago.
Tragically, the outbreak has already claimed three lives — a Dutch couple and a German national — raising fears about the severity of the virus and the risks posed in confined environments such as cruise ships.
According to the World Health Organization, there are currently seven confirmed cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus linked to the outbreak, along with two additional suspected infections. One suspected patient reportedly died before testing could be completed, while another possible case emerged on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where testing facilities are unavailable.
Health authorities remain particularly concerned about several recently identified cases among evacuated passengers.
A French passenger tested positive for the virus shortly after arriving in the Canary Islands, and officials say her condition has deteriorated significantly. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirmed that medical teams are closely monitoring her recovery.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Health and Human Services said one American passenger repatriated from the cruise ship tested mildly positive for the virus, while another individual reported mild symptoms. Spanish health officials later challenged the initial American result, saying a second laboratory test conducted in Spain produced inconclusive findings.
The differing assessments have highlighted the uncertainty still surrounding the outbreak, particularly as authorities continue monitoring dozens of passengers across multiple countries.
Spain’s Health Ministry also confirmed that 14 Spanish passengers currently quarantined at a military medical facility in Madrid were awaiting test results, expected later Monday.
Despite growing concern, health experts continue to stress that hantavirus poses far less danger to the wider public than COVID-19. Officials have repeatedly urged calm, emphasizing that the virus is significantly less contagious and spreads very differently.
Unlike COVID-19, hantavirus is typically transmitted through exposure to infected rodents or their droppings. Although the Andes strain can spread between humans in rare circumstances involving close personal contact, experts insist that widespread transmission remains highly unlikely.
“This is not COVID,” health officials have repeatedly emphasized, attempting to reassure a public still deeply shaped by the trauma of the coronavirus pandemic.
At the time the outbreak was identified, the MV Hondius carried 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries. Concerns escalated rapidly after clusters of severe respiratory illness were reported to the World Health Organization on May 3, though investigators now believe the virus may have been circulating for weeks beforehand.
The outbreak was first flagged internationally after British health authorities in Johannesburg treated a passenger who had left the ship and later tested positive. That discovery came weeks after the first onboard death of a Dutch traveler, suggesting infections may have gone unnoticed during much of the voyage.
As fears mounted, Spain agreed to a World Health Organization request to oversee the ship’s evacuation after regional authorities in the Canary Islands initially raised concerns about allowing the vessel to dock.
The WHO has since recommended a 42-day quarantine period for everyone exposed aboard the cruise ship — an unusually lengthy measure reflecting uncertainty about the virus’s incubation period and transmission patterns.
Even as scientists closely monitor the situation, pharmaceutical experts believe the outbreak is unlikely to evolve into a broader global threat. Speaking at a healthcare conference in Milan, Italian pharmaceutical lobby leader Marcello Cattani said there is currently little urgency for a hantavirus vaccine.
While he noted that developing a vaccine would be technically possible, he argued that the limited number of cases suggests the outbreak is unlikely to escalate into an epidemic or pandemic.
For now, global health officials remain focused on monitoring passengers, containing infections, and ensuring the crisis aboard the MV Hondius finally comes to a safe end as its last passengers step ashore after a voyage few could ever have imagined.
Source Reuters
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