The United States is sending a repatriation plane to evacuate 17 Americans from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which is at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. The plane, dispatched by the CDC and HHS, will transport passengers back to the U.S. in coordination with Spanish authorities.
The MV Hondius is currently sailing from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, expected to anchor off Tenerife early Sunday. Because local officials refused docking, passengers will be disembarked in small groups by nationality once confirmed asymptomatic. They will be taken directly from shore to the airport runway for immediate departure on their respective nation’s aircraft. Evacuation zones will be fully isolated to prevent any public contact.
None of the 147 people currently on board are showing symptoms. The WHO is conducting health checks to assess exposure risks. Medicalized planes remain on standby. The ship will later return to the Netherlands with a minimal crew.
Nine confirmed or suspected hantavirus cases have been linked to the cruise, including three deaths. The two deceased were a Dutch couple who had traveled in South America, where they were exposed to the Andes strain, the only human-to-human transmissible variant. Health officials in over a dozen countries are monitoring earlier disembarked passengers. Spanish health officials stress the risk of a wider outbreak remains very low.