The total number of hantavirus cases linked to the outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius has climbed to 13 following a new case in Spain, the World Health Organization has said.
“Spain reported a new case among the passengers who are in quarantine, which brings the total number of cases to 13,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday in a post on X.
He added, “There are no new deaths reported since May 2. The total number of deaths remains three out of 13 reported cases so far. The situation remains stable. Passengers who got sick are receiving needed care, while others remain in quarantine.”
Prior to the case reported in Spain, the most recent infection was in the Netherlands: A crew member who left the MV Hondius in Tenerife was repatriated home and has been isolating since.
All passengers and crew are now in quarantine with close monitoring, Tedros previously said, and WHO surveillance will continue until the incubation period ends for everyone who was on board.
In the United States, there are currently no hantavirus cases among the 18 passengers who returned from the MV Hondius, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The 18 passengers have requested to stay at the Nebraska Quarantine Facility in Omaha through May 31 — the 21-day mark in their monitoring period.
The CDC said last week that at least 41 people in the U.S. were being monitored for potential exposure and that the “risk to the U.S. is low.”
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