Cruise Ship Hit by Hantavirus Outbreak Arrives in Canary Islands for Evacuation
A cruise ship carrying more than 140 passengers and crew members arrived off the coast of Tenerife on May 10, 2026, as Spanish and international authorities began a strictly controlled evacuation following a hantavirus outbreak.
The MV Hondius will not dock at the port. instead, it remains at anchor to ensure there is no contact between those on board and the local population of the Canary Islands. Passengers and crew are being ferried to shore in small boats, where they will undergo symptom screenings before being transported via evacuation flights to their home destinations.
The operation is being supervised by high-level officials, including World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as well as Spain’s health and interior ministers. While the WHO, Spanish authorities, and the cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, confirmed that no one currently on board is showing symptoms, the outbreak has already had a severe toll. Three people have died since the onset of the outbreak, and five passengers who had previously left the ship are confirmed to be infected.
The specific strain identified in this outbreak is the Andes virus. While hantaviruses typically spread to humans through the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, the Andes virus is rare because it may be capable of spreading from person to person in certain cases.
The passengers on board represent more than 20 different nationalities. Health officials noted that symptoms of the virus typically manifest between one and eight weeks after initial exposure.
The incident underscores the complexities of managing rare zoonotic diseases within the context of international travel, where a single outbreak can quickly involve multiple nationalities and require coordinated diplomatic and medical responses.
