The outbreak occurred aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, currently docked in Spain’s Canary Islands, where three passengers — a Dutch couple and a German woman — died after travelling on the vessel. Two of the deaths have been confirmed as hantavirus cases.
US health officials said another American passenger on the repatriation flight had shown mild symptoms. Authorities added that both infected passengers travelled back to the United States in special biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution”.
French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a French woman infected with the virus was isolating in Paris and that her condition was worsening. Authorities have traced 22 contact cases linked to her.
More than 90 passengers from the ship are currently being repatriated to their home countries.
Hantaviruses are typically carried by rodents, but the Andes strain — believed by the World Health Organization to have infected some passengers during travel in South America — can spread between humans in rare cases.
Symptoms include fever, severe fatigue, muscle pain, stomach issues, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.
Despite the confirmed cases, health authorities insist the risk of a large-scale outbreak remains low.
The US Department of Health and Human Services said all 17 American citizens on the repatriation flight would undergo medical assessments at a healthcare facility in Nebraska. Seven other US passengers had already returned earlier and are now being monitored in their respective states.
A British national living in the United States was also evacuated with the American group.
Before the US cases were confirmed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Washington’s decision not to fully follow WHO isolation guidance could carry risks.
The WHO has recommended a 42-day isolation period for passengers leaving the MV Hondius.
However, acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jay Bhattacharya, said there was no need for public panic, stressing that human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains uncommon and should not be treated similarly to Covid-19.
Passengers disembarking in Tenerife were seen wearing protective gowns, caps and face masks.
Among those onboard were five French nationals and 20 British passengers, who arrived in the United Kingdom on a chartered flight from Tenerife. They were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral for a 72-hour isolation period. None have reported symptoms so far.
Two additional British nationals with confirmed infections are currently receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa.
