Spain allows hantavirus contacts who test negative to spend last 14 quarantine days at home

By Escarlata Sánchez Published on 22/05/2026 - 17:54 GMT+2•Updated 18:24 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp

The WHO has confirmed a new hantavirus case linked to cruise ship MV Hondius: a crew member who left the vessel in Tenerife and was repatriated to the Netherlands, bringing total infections to 12.

In Spain, hantavirus contacts who remain asymptomatic and have negative PCR tests will be allowed to complete the final 14 days of the planned 42-day quarantine at home, provided they meet the conditions required to guarantee isolation and health safety. During this period, they will undergo daily checks by public health staff.

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The Public Health Commission has recently approved a new protocol for monitoring the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which in Spain has resulted in 14 passengers being admitted to Gómez Ulla Hospital, one of them testing positive, as well as two women from Alicante and Barcelona who shared a flight with one of the people who died.

The new document sets out the quarantine conditions for the 15 identified contacts, which will last for 42 days. In the meantime, the only confirmed positive case will remain in the High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit (UATAN) until clinical recovery.

Quarantine will be in hospital for the first 28 days. Transfer to their homes will be carried out by standard medical transport, avoiding the use of public transport. Both the contact and the driver will have to wear FFP2 masks and take particular care with hand hygiene.

WHO confirms 12 hantavirus cases after another positive in the Netherlands

A new hantavirus case associated with the MV Hondius cruise ship was confirmed on Friday in a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife and was later transferred to the Netherlands, bringing the total number of infections to 12, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

On his X account, the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, posted the following update on hantavirus: “No new deaths have been recorded in 20 days. The Netherlands has reported one additional case: a crew member who left the ship in Tenerife, was repatriated and has been in isolation since. The total number of cases to date is 12, with three deaths (all occurring before 2 May).”

The death toll remains at three, as the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pointed out at a press conference, where he specified that no new deaths have been recorded since 2 May, the date on which the outbreak was first reported to the agency.

“We continue to urge the affected countries to monitor all passengers closely for the remainder of the quarantine period,” Tedros added, stressing that the newly detected case has remained in isolation since being repatriated.

The WHO chief also recalled that more than 600 possible contacts in 30 countries continue to be monitored, although “a small number of high-risk contacts” have yet to be traced.

Tedros thanked the countries that have cooperated in responding to the crisis and in the epidemiological investigation, including Argentina, Cabo Verde, Chile, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom.

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