Final Flights Are Set After Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak Near Tenerife

(MENAFN) The last two evacuation flights for passengers aboard a cruise ship affected by a deadly outbreak of Hantavirus were set to depart on Monday afternoon, following the vessel’s docking near the Spanish island of Tenerife, according to Spain’s health authorities.

Spain’s health minister, Mónica García, said on Sunday that a large number of passengers had already been removed from the ship as evacuation efforts continued. She confirmed that 94 people had been transferred off the vessel before the final flights were arranged.

Officials stated that one evacuation flight organized by Australia would transport six passengers, while another flight arranged by the Netherlands would carry 18 individuals, including travelers from countries that had not coordinated their own repatriation plans, as reported by local media sources.

Earlier on Sunday, the first group to leave the ship included 14 Spanish citizens. They were flown to Madrid on a military aircraft and subsequently taken to a military hospital, where they were placed under quarantine and underwent medical testing.

The evacuation process took place amid political disagreement, with the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, raising concerns over the handling of the situation. However, Spanish health officials rejected fears that infected rodents could spread from the ship to land, insisting that the risk was negligible. One official stated that the likelihood of a rodent reaching the Canary coastline was described as “zero.”

The outbreak involves Hantavirus, a rare illness typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their waste. In this case, health experts have also noted that the specific strain involved can spread between humans, increasing concern among public health authorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the situation as a Level 3 emergency response, which represents its lowest tier of emergency activation but still signals a need for heightened monitoring and coordinated response efforts.

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