Hantavirus Cases Resolved
Health Authorities Close Hantavirus Management After All Follow-Ups Negative
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Spain's Ministry of Health has officially closed its management of the hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship *MV Hondius*, declaring on June 20, 2026 that all monitored contacts have tested negative. The two Spanish passengers who contracted the Andes virus have been discharged from the Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla in Madrid and are recovering at home, according to El Periódico.
The closure marks the end of a 42-day monitoring program — double the standard 21-day period — covering 14 Spanish residents, 13 passengers and one crew member, who were evacuated from the ship in May. All 14 have now cleared every required test, Levante EMV reported.
From Cruise Ship Crisis to Official Containment in 42 Days
The *MV Hondius*, a Dutch-flagged expedition ship carrying 147 people from 23 countries, became the center of Spain's biggest infectious disease emergency in years. The Andes virus — a hantavirus strain unique because it can spread from person to person — killed three people on board between April and May 2026. Spain evacuated its 14 nationals by military aircraft to Madrid on May 10 after Cape Verde refused the ship entry, according to La Opinión de Murcia.
The first Spanish case was confirmed on May 12. A second appeared on May 26. Both patients were treated under strict high-level isolation protocols at the Gómez Ulla military hospital. The first was discharged on June 4 and the second on June 16. The 12 asymptomatic contacts moved to home quarantine on June 7 and completed their monitoring with negative PCR results, Diario de Mallorca reported.
Andes Virus: The One Hantavirus That Spreads Between People
Most hantaviruses only spread through contact with infected rodent droppings. The Andes virus is different. It is the only known strain capable of jumping directly from one person to another. It is native to the Patagonia region of Argentina and Chile. The 2026 *MV Hondius* cluster was the first recorded case of an Andes virus outbreak on a cruise ship, according to Diario Córdoba.
The extended 42-day quarantine was designed specifically to account for this human-to-human transmission risk. Doctors at Gómez Ulla applied a "double negative" discharge rule, requiring patients to test negative in both saliva and urine before release. The approach was modeled on protocols Spain developed during the 2014 Ebola response, El Correo Gallego noted.
Political Clash Over Whether Spain Should Have Accepted the Ship
The decision to accept the *MV Hondius* at the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife was not without controversy. The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, initially opposed the ship's arrival, warning of risks to the islands' tourism sector. The WHO Director-General had personally appealed to Spain to offer the ship a port of refuge, and later praised the repatriation as a "model of international coordination," according to La Provincia.
Health Minister Mónica GarcÃa defended the government's call as one of "science, humanity, and solvency." The opposition Partido Popular accused the Sánchez government of using the crisis for propaganda. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism covered 75% of the repatriation costs, with the medicalized flights estimated at €200,000, El DÃa reported.
International Research Program and New Cruise Health Rules on the Horizon
The outbreak has triggered action beyond Spain's borders. Twenty-one countries have signed onto a coordinated hantavirus research program to study long-term viral shedding in people exposed on the *MV Hondius*. The European Commission is also reviewing stricter health requirements for expedition cruises that visit remote areas where medical evacuation can take days, El Periódico de Extremadura reported.
Inside Spain, the crisis has reignited debate over healthcare worker protections. Medical unions are pushing for stronger resources and legal coverage for staff handling high-risk zoonotic pathogens — diseases that jump from animals to humans. For now, with all 14 contacts cleared, Sanidad says the file is closed, La Opinión de Zamora reported.
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