US and French nationals test positive for hantavirus after leaving ship

The MV Hondius remains docked at the port of Grandilla de Abona, Tenerife, as further repatriation and evacuation operations proceed.

Two other British nationals with confirmed cases are now being treated in the Netherlands and in South Africa.

In Spain, 14 Spaniards flown to Madrid face mandatory quarantine at a military hospital.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said the situation should not provoke public panic and that human-to-human transmission is rare.

The World Health Organization advised 42 days of isolation for individuals leaving the MV Hondius.

An American and a French national who had returned home after leaving the MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus; a second American on the repatriation flight had also shown mild symptoms.

Ukraine said four of its citizens would remain on board the MV Hondius as part of the crew to ensure the ship's transfer to the Netherlands; upon arrival, they would be quarantined at a medical facility. Another Ukrainian national was expected to leave the ship as part of the partial crew evacuation to the Netherlands.

A separate flight with 26 passengers and crew, including eight Dutch nationals, arrived in the Netherlands; six passengers are returning to Australia and 18 will be flown to the Netherlands; both planes are also carrying passengers from other countries without their own repatriation flights.

On Sunday, passengers disembarked at the port of Grandilla de Abona in Tenerife; a British national evacuated along with 17 American passengers; a plane carrying 20 British nationals arrived in Manchester for isolation (72 hours) with none reporting symptoms.

A German woman died on board the MV Hondius on 2 May, linked to the outbreak on the vessel.

The Dutch woman who had left the ship died two days later in a clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The wife of the Dutch couple left the MV Hondius on the island of St Helena on 24 April and flew to South Africa.

An elderly Dutch man on the MV Hondius died on board; this death is referenced as the vessel's first passenger death and is described as a probable hantavirus case as no tests were carried out.

The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026, beginning its voyage before the outbreak reporting.