{"id":5438,"date":"2026-05-12T17:15:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=5438"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:15:17","slug":"spain-reports-new-hantavirus-case-in-passenger-from-cruise-ship-as-confirmed-infections-grow-to-9-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=5438","title":{"rendered":"Spain reports new hantavirus case in passenger from cruise ship as confirmed infections grow to 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

By MIKE CORDER<\/strong><\/p>\n

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) \u2014 A Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of a\u00a0hantavirus\u00a0outbreak has tested positive for the virus, Spain\u2019s health ministry announced Tuesday as the World Health Organization said it has now confirmed nine cases. Three people on the cruise died.<\/p>

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The passenger with the new confirmed case of hantavirus was in quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid, where 13 other Spanish nationals evacuated Sunday also are staying. They all tested negative for the virus.<\/p>\n

With the\u00a0evacuation\u00a0of all passengers and many crew members completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected.<\/p>\n

The director of the World Health Organization, who was in Madrid, said 11 cases reported worldwide are all among passengers or crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship. Nine have been confirmed as infections of the Andes virus, a member of the hantavirus family. Two suspected hantavirus cases have been reported but not confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese numbers have changed little over the past week thanks to the governments of multiple countries and partners,\u201d said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,\u201d he added, \u201cbut of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it\u2019s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 12 staff members at a Dutch hospital where a hantavirus patient is being treated were told to quarantine after incorrectly handling bodily fluids.<\/p>

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In a Paris hospital, a French woman evacuated from the stricken ship remained in intensive care in stable condition. The French government was holding two new hantavirus emergency meetings Tuesday, the prime minister said.<\/p>\n

Health authorities say it\u2019s the first hantavirus outbreak\u00a0on a cruise ship. While there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates.<\/p>\n