Hantavirus ship repatriation flights planned to US, UK, and five EU countries

Spanish Interior Minister said on Saturday that repatriation flights are planning for passengers on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius, which is scheduled to anchor off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday. He also added that US, UK and at least five EU nations are coordinating with Spanish authorities for safe evacuation.

The MV Hondius reported a fatal hantavirus outbreak, with three deaths and several illnesses as of May 8-9 and no remaining passengers or crew were displaying symptoms. While hantavirus often transmits via rodents, the World Health Organization’s Chief noted that the possibility of rare human-to-human transmission in this case, but deemed the overall risk to the general public as low.