A deadly cruise ship outbreak tied to the MV Hondius has climbed to 11 cases after a Spanish passenger tested positive for hantavirus and was placed in quarantine, according to health officials.
The Dutch expedition ship has become the center of an international health response after passengers and crew were linked to the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, a rodent-borne virus that can cause severe respiratory illness and, in rare cases, spread between people through close contact.
Three passengers have died in connection with the outbreak, including two Dutch nationals and a German passenger.
Spanish officials said the newly infected passenger was taken to a military hospital in Madrid, where other evacuated passengers are being monitored. Thirteen other Spanish passengers initially tested negative, according to officials.
The World Health Organization has said the risk to the public remains low, but warned more cases could surface because hantavirus can have a lengthy incubation period.
The outbreak is believed to be connected to exposure to infected rodent droppings while the ship was operating near Argentina, where the Andes virus is endemic.
U.S. passengers evacuated from the vessel were flown back for quarantine and medical monitoring, with some taken to Nebraska and Atlanta. Medical staff said the passengers were stable.
“They’re in good shape and good spirits, just tired,” said Dr. Michael Wadman, medical director of the quarantine unit.
Dr. Brendan Jackson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said officials are watching the situation closely, even as they stress that casual exposure is not considered a major threat.
The MV Hondius has since been evacuated and sent back to the Netherlands for cleaning and disinfection. Dutch authorities also quarantined 12 hospital workers after a breach in handling bodily fluids from an infected patient.
Health officials have stressed the cruise ship outbreak is not another COVID-style event, but the scare has prompted global monitoring as passengers return to their home countries.
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