Two sick passengers and the close contact of a confirmed case are expected to be evacuated by air in the coming hours, according to a Situation Report published by the Spanish Health Ministry. The first two will be taken to the Netherlands and the third to Germany. The Dutch Foreign Ministry has said it is coordinating the medical evacuation with the cruise operator.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis intervention aims to assess the condition of the people on board, determine whether there are additional symptomatic individuals, and identify high\u2011 and low\u2011risk contacts. This will inform decisions on repatriation procedures and the ship\u2019s route,\u201d the Health Ministry said on the social network X.<\/p>\n
The WHO, which early this morning raised the number of people affected by the outbreak to seven \u2014 one of whom has already recovered \u2014 had said the ship would head to the Canary Islands<\/a> once the two sick passengers were evacuated. The Spanish Health Ministry later clarified in a statement that if that evacuation takes place, \u201cthere would be no clinical reason\u201d for the vessel to call at the Spanish islands \u201cunless new symptomatic cases appear during the journey.\u201d In that scenario, it added, \u201ccare would be justified under the principle of providing assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBased on the epidemiological data collected from the ship during its stop in Cape Verde, the most appropriate port of call will be determined. Until then, the Ministry of Health will not make any decision, as we have already informed the WHO,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO\u2019s director for epidemic and pandemic prevention and preparedness, said in Geneva<\/a> that the organization is \u201cworking with the Spanish authorities\u201d and assumed that the Canary Islands \u201cwill welcome the ship to do a full epidemiologic investigation, full disinfection of the ship, and of course to assess the risk of the passengers.\u201d Spain\u2019s Ministry of Health, however, has reiterated through a spokesperson that this has not yet been decided.<\/p>\n Fernando Sim\u00f3n<\/a>, director of Spain\u2019s Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), said Tuesday morning in an interview with Catalunya R\u00e0dio: \u201cIt is not certain that the ship will arrive in the Canary Islands. It sails under the Dutch flag, and all parties involved are still discussing the possibility that, instead of stopping in the Canary Islands \u2014 the closest port to Cape Verde \u2014 it may go directly [to the Netherlands]. These decisions are being made in the coming hours.\u201d<\/p>\n In any case, Sim\u00f3n added, if the ship were to reach Spanish shores, it would do so with no sick passengers on board, since anyone showing symptoms \u201cwould be evacuated by air.\u201d Even so, the CCAES director recalled that the Canary Islands \u201cfortunately have a high\u2011level treatment unit for patients with high\u2011risk infections, where they can receive top\u2011level care without endangering healthcare workers or posing any risk of contagion.\u201d<\/p>\n Canary Islands want the ship to go to the Netherlands <\/p>\n The premier of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, said in Brussels that while awaiting the technical meetings underway to determine the ship\u2019s destination, he has spoken with Spanish Health Minister M\u00f3nica Garc\u00eda, and agrees with her that \u201cthe reasonable thing\u201d would be for the ship not to call at the Canary Islands but instead \u201cbe attended to where it is\u201d and then proceed directly to its place of origin, the Netherlands. <\/p>\n \u201cFrom the outset, we believe the ship should be attended to where it is, where the outbreak was detected. We don\u2019t want to get ahead of events, but if there is no danger to people\u2019s lives, then care can perfectly well be provided there and the ship \u2014 which sails under the Dutch flag \u2014 can then head to the Netherlands,\u201d Clavijo told a group of journalists after a meeting with Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas.<\/p>\n Manuel Dom\u00ednguez, vice premier of the Canary Islands government, also addressed the issue in an interview with La Radio Canaria, ahead of a meeting to which the regional government has been summoned. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what we demand from the Canary Islands. First of all, if the stop does not have to be in the Canary Islands, all the better, because there may well be other resources on the mainland. But if it does have to be here, then [the care will be provided] with every guarantee imaginable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The WHO released additional information early Tuesday morning on the condition of those affected and the evolution of the outbreak. \u201cSeven cases (two laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases) have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms,\u201d the organization said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n Of the three symptomatic individuals who, according to the WHO\u2019s overnight update, remain on board \u2014 of Dutch and British nationality \u2014 one has already recovered, according to the information available.<\/p>\n The other two require \u201curgent medical care,\u201d Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement on Tuesday at midday. They present \u201cacute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe,\u201d according to the statement.<\/p>\n Regarding the origin of the infection, the WHO considers the most plausible hypothesis to be that the initial infections occurred off the ship during the South American leg of the trip taken by the first two people who died, and that subsequent person\u2011to\u2011person transmission of the pathogen took place on board. This, however, must be confirmed by ongoing investigations.<\/p>\n \u201cIllness onset occurred between 6 and 28 April 2026 and was characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock,\u201d the WHO added in its statement. \u201cFurther investigations are ongoing. The outbreak is being managed through coordinated international response, and includes in-depth investigations, case isolation and care, medical evacuation and laboratory investigations. <\/p>\n Catalonia\u2019s regional government has reported that five of the 14 Spanish nationals on board reside in the region. The statement released notes that \u201ctwo of the deceased passengers had traveled through South America before boarding the cruise,\u201d although \u201cthe extent of the passengers\u2019 contact with local wildlife during the trip or before embarkation is unknown.\u201d According to health sources, this trip could help explain the origin of the outbreak.<\/p>\n Hantavirus is a pathogen typically carried by rodents and can be transmitted to humans through inhalation of particles from the saliva, feces or urine of infected animals. Person\u2011to\u2011person transmission has only been demonstrated in one of the 24 strains known to infect humans \u2014 the so\u2011called Andes virus<\/a>. This variant was identified in 1996 in Argentina and is predominant in some regions of the country. In Argentina, the average case\u2011fatality rate in recent years has been around 18.5%.<\/p>\n According to information provided by the WHO, the first case was a man \u2014 who had traveled through South America with his partner \u2014 who began developing \u201cfever, headache and mild diarrhea\u201d on April 6 while on board. Five days later, he \u201cdeveloped respiratory distress and died on board the same day.\u201d No microbiological tests were performed, and his body was transferred from the vessel to the British overseas territory of Saint Helena on April 24.<\/p>\n The second case was his companion, a woman who began experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms on April 24. Her condition \u201csubsequently deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 25. She later died upon arrival at an emergency department on April 26,\u201d and two days later, \u201cthe case was subsequently confirmed by PCR with hantavirus infection,\u201d the WHO said. An investigation has been launched to trace the contacts of the passengers on that flight to South Africa.<\/p>\n A third case is a man who went to the ship\u2019s doctor on April 24 with fever, difficulty breathing, and signs of pneumonia. Three days later, as his condition worsened, he was evacuated to South Africa, where he is currently hospitalized in an intensive care unit. A PCR test also confirmed hantavirus infection last Saturday.<\/p>\n The individual classified as \u201ccase 4\u201d is a woman with pneumonia who also died on Saturday and had developed symptoms on April 28, mainly fever and general malaise. \u201cThree suspected cases have reported high fever and\/or gastrointestinal symptoms and remain on board,\u201d the WHO said, adding that \u201cmedical teams in Cabo Verde are evaluating the patients and collecting additional specimens for testing.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MKS4DIY3QROKTOOCXPNHBYTVDI.jpg\")
The ‘MV Hondius’ cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, May 4, 2026. Arilson Almeida (AP)<\/p>\n