Updated daily · May 16, 2026
18 may 2026·7 of 7 events
Confirmed cases and deaths · MV Hondius cluster (WHO · CDC)
Los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades celebran rueda de prensa: ningún caso confirmado ni sospechoso de virus Andes en territorio estadounidense. Los pasajeros estadounidenses repatriados del MV Hondius permanecen en aislamiento en unidades médicas designadas. El cluster total se mantiene en 10 casos confirmados o probables y 3 fallecidos (2 confirmados + 1 sospechoso).
Oceanwide Expeditions confirma que el buque navega rumbo a Rotterdam con 25 miembros de tripulación, dos sanitarios y el cuerpo del pasajero fallecido a bordo. Ninguno presenta síntomas. Llegada prevista la noche del domingo 17 de mayo. El armador anunciará a finales de semana cuándo retomará las expediciones comerciales.
The Port of Rotterdam installs 23 temporary cabins to receive the cruise ship's international crew, expected to arrive on Monday May 18. Mandatory quarantine runs for six weeks per the Andes virus maximum incubation cycle. Crew unable to return home will stay at these centers.
The Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen reports that twelve healthcare workers have been preventively isolated after failing to correctly apply infection control protocols while treating a repatriated hantavirus patient. No secondary positives detected so far.
Following an EU health coordination meeting in Brussels, member states agree on mandatory PCR testing for the cruise ship's entire crew upon arrival in the Netherlands. Crew unable to return to their countries will quarantine for 42 days at special centers set up by Dutch authorities.
Spain's Health Ministry confirms via a second PCR the first positive hantavirus case in Spain: a MV Hondius passenger admitted to Madrid's Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital. The patient shows mild symptoms and remains stable. The 14 Spaniards continue their 42-day quarantine at the same facility.
The World Health Organization updates the official MV Hondius cluster count: 11 cases (9 confirmed + 2 suspected) and 3 deaths distributed across 6 countries. Global population risk remains 'low'. The CDC publishes HAN00528 clinical guidance for U.S. health professionals.
Genetic analyses by Spain's National Microbiology Center confirm the outbreak pathogen is the Andes variant —the only one with documented human-to-human transmission— and rule out relevant mutations. The last two flights with 28 evacuees arrive in the Netherlands, completing the repatriation operation.
A French military flight lands in Paris with five citizens repatriated from the MV Hondius. The Prime Minister confirms one shows 'compatible symptoms' on arrival and is admitted in isolation at a reference hospital. The other four enter supervised home quarantine.
The cruise ship anchors two nautical miles off the Port of Granadilla. Spanish health and military personnel in full PPE and FFP2 masks transfer the 94 passengers of 19 nationalities in launches. The operation proceeds 'as planned'. Health authorities set May 10 as 'day zero' of the 42-day quarantine.
Mónica García (Health) and Fernando Grande-Marlaska (Interior) arrive in Tenerife to oversee the next day's disembarkation operation. They reiterate that population risk is 'very low' and that the operation has sufficient health and military personnel for a safe evacuation.
Civil Protection and the Canary Islands Government detail the operation: the cruise ship will not dock. Passengers and crew will be ferried in launches, in shifts, with health personnel in full PPE. First the deceased's body, then symptomatic passengers and finally the rest. Fernando Clavijo asks the ship to leave the Canaries after disembarkation.
The RIVM confirms the KLM flight attendant hospitalized in Amsterdam with compatible symptoms tested negative. The case is ruled out and confirmed outside the MV Hondius outbreak focus.
The World Health Organization issues a public clarification on hantavirus transmission. It insists the virus does not spread easily between people and that human-to-human transmission has only been documented under very close and prolonged contact conditions. Population risk remains 'very low'.
Spain's Health Ministry reverses course and confirms the cruise ship 'is not a suitable place' for quarantine. MV Hondius passengers will disembark and complete isolation at designated health facilities in Tenerife. The Spanish passengers accept the measure.
Tenerife's Cabildo activates the PEIN in pre-alert status. Civil Protection, Red Cross and Health coordinate the operation at the Port of Granadilla to receive the cruise ship with an active hantavirus outbreak onboard.
The RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment of the Netherlands) confirms that two of the three Dutch passengers with compatible symptoms tested negative. The third case remains under clinical observation.
Spain's Health Ministry and Civil Protection confirm the MV Hondius will arrive in the Canaries without touching land. Passengers refusing medical isolation will face forced quarantine. Pedro Sánchez calls Canary president Fernando Clavijo to coordinate the operation.
The World Health Organization updates the outbreak's official balance, raising confirmed cases to five while maintaining 3 deaths. It warns the figure may rise given the incubation period but insists global risk remains 'low'.
The World Health Organization activates international monitoring of the MV Hondius outbreak. It reports the first confirmed deaths and suspected cases, with several passengers under medical observation.
Cape Verde maintains the docking ban on health grounds. The vessel remains four miles off the coast while medical transfer of the sickest passengers is negotiated.
The Cape Verdean Ministry of Health denies docking permission to the expedition vessel Hondius after confirmation of an onboard hantavirus outbreak. The ship remains anchored offshore while medical evacuations are coordinated.
Another passenger dies aboard the expedition vessel. MV Hondius doctors officially confirm the outbreak and request international assistance. Total: 3 deaths in under a month.
South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirms hantavirus as the cause of death of the passenger evacuated from the Hondius. A second severely ill passenger is airlifted to hospital.
The wife of the first deceased passenger is evacuated in critical condition to Saint Helena. Authorities coordinate her subsequent transfer to Johannesburg. The cause of illness remains undetermined.
A passenger on the expedition vessel MV Hondius dies onboard after developing severe symptoms. The ship is sailing the South Atlantic after departing Ushuaia on April 1. Cause of death yet to be determined.
| Country / Location | Confirmed | Suspected | Deaths | Active | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🚢MV Hondius (onboard) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 4 days ago |
| 🇪🇸España (Madrid · Gómez Ulla) | 1 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 3 days ago |
| 🇫🇷Francia (París) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 6 days ago |
| 🇳🇱Países Bajos (Rotterdam / Nimega) | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | yesterday |
| 🇿🇦Sudáfrica (Johannesburgo) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 days ago |
| 🇸🇭Santa Helena | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 days ago |
| 🇨🇻Cabo Verde | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 days ago |
| 🇦🇷Argentina (Ushuaia · origen) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 months ago |
A rare but serious viral infection, usually transmitted by contact with rodents, their droppings, urine, or contaminated environments. Early symptoms: fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue. May progress to severe respiratory distress (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) with significant mortality.
No widely available vaccine exists. Treatment is supportive. Early detection dramatically improves prognosis.
Unofficial source. Information aggregated from public reports. Not a substitute for medical advice or official sources (WHO, CDC, ministries of health).