The Spanish government has agreed to urgently receive and medically evacuate a seriously ill doctor from the cruise vessel MV Hondius, following a hantavirus outbreak on board that has already caused multiple deaths and infections among passengers and crew.
The doctor will be transported to the Canary Islands aboard a medically equipped aircraft after a formal request from the Dutch government. The Ministry of Health confirmed the decision, describing it as part of a coordinated humanitarian response involving Spain, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the health ministry said the evacuation forms part of a broader international operation to manage the health crisis on the ship, which is currently located in waters off Cape Verde after sailing from Argentina.
The request for Spain’s intervention was made after the WHO, working with EU partners, determined that Cape Verde lacks the medical infrastructure required to handle an outbreak of this scale. The Canary Islands were selected as the nearest suitable location with advanced healthcare capacity.
The WHO has reported that 147 people are on board the vessel, including passengers and crew. So far, seven cases linked to hantavirus have been identified, including two laboratory-confirmed infections and five suspected cases. The outbreak has resulted in three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals with milder symptoms.
Health authorities said early symptoms among those infected appeared between 6 and 28 April, including fever and gastrointestinal distress. In more severe cases, the illness progressed rapidly to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and circulatory shock.
In parallel with the evacuation of the critically ill doctor, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is assessing the condition of all individuals on board to determine who requires urgent evacuation and who can be safely transferred later to the Canary Islands. Authorities estimate the ship will reach the archipelago within three to four days.
The Spanish Ministry of Health said strict containment protocols will be enforced upon arrival, including controlled transport routes and isolation measures designed to prevent any contact with the local population and protect healthcare workers.
The WHO and ECDC have developed a joint protocol for testing, treatment and monitoring of all passengers and crew. Once medical evaluations are complete, passengers are expected to be repatriated to their home countries, including several Spanish nationals.
Hantavirus, a rodent-borne disease, is transmitted through contact with contaminated droppings, urine or saliva, often becoming airborne in enclosed or disturbed environments. While human-to-human transmission is rare, severe cases can lead to life-threatening respiratory complications.
The operation comes as international health authorities also track additional suspected hantavirus cases linked to recent air travel, underscoring growing concern over the spread of the disease across multiple locations.
