All remaining passengers aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, linked to a hantavirus outbreak, will be transported to the Netherlands after a planned Australian repatriation flight was canceled, Spain’s health minister said Monday, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.

Speaking in Tenerife, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said authorities had initially arranged two separate repatriation flights — one to Australia and another to the Netherlands. However, the Australian aircraft was unable to arrive before the operational deadline of 7 pm local time (1700 GMT).

“As a result, the Netherlands flight will also take the citizens who were supposed to travel on the Australian flight,” Garcia said.

She said a total of 54 people remained aboard the vessel. Of these, 22 were expected to disembark, while 32 others would stay on the ship and depart later in the day on the Netherlands-bound flight.

According to Spanish authorities, only six passengers remain among those still aboard the ship — four Australians, one British national, and one New Zealander — with the remainder made up of crew members of various nationalities.

Garcia added that the vessel completed refueling operations on Monday morning and was being provisioned ahead of departure.

“Finally, when the ship leaves port and the plane departs, we will begin disinfection work at the port in accordance with established protocols,” she said.

She also said that 14 Spanish nationals quarantined at Madrid’s Gomez Ulla hospital were “doing well,” and PCR test results expected later on Monday would determine whether any had been infected.

French authorities previously confirmed a hantavirus case in a passenger evacuated from the ship, while US authorities also reported a passenger with mild symptoms and a “doubtfully positive” result, Garcia said.

She noted that further positive cases were not unexpected due to the disease’s incubation period, which can last up to 42 days. “Over those days, symptoms can appear,” she said, adding that some individuals may later test positive despite initially showing no signs of illness.

Garcia also defended Spain’s epidemiological response, saying contacts had been treated “with all security measures as if they were cases,” and emphasized that Spain was “prepared for all scenarios.”

She said authorities had taken “all necessary measures” to prevent further transmission and were coordinating with 23 countries involved in monitoring passengers and contacts linked to the outbreak.

Hantavirus is a rare disease typically transmitted through infected rodents or their droppings. However, the Andes virus strain involved in this outbreak can also spread between humans through prolonged close contact, particularly in enclosed environments.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev