By Dominic Wabwireh with AP
Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus‑stricken cruise ship MV Hondius began flying home on military and government aircraft after the vessel anchored in Tenerife, with one American testing positive and a French traveler developing symptoms during their separate repatriation flights on Sunday.
Seventeen Americans were flown out, and U.S. officials confirmed that one tested positive for hantavirus despite showing no symptoms.
The passenger will be taken to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, while others will undergo monitoring at the National Quarantine Unit.
French authorities reported that one of their five evacuees developed symptoms mid‑flight, prompting strict isolation for the entire group upon arrival in Paris.
Passengers were escorted off the ship by teams in full protective suits.
Spanish nationals were flown first to Madrid, while evacuation flights for more than 20 nationalities continued throughout the day.
WHO stresses low public risk despite global precautions
WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that the outbreak does not pose a major public threat, saying, “This is not another COVID… the risk to the public is low.”
Still, port workers and evacuees wore hazmat suits, masks and respirators, and passengers were sprayed with disinfectant before boarding flights.
Countries are imposing strict monitoring: the U.K. requires 72 hours of hospital quarantine followed by six weeks of self‑isolation, while Dutch and French authorities have adopted similar long‑term protocols.
Ship to sail for disinfection as monitoring continues worldwide
Some crew members — along with the body of a passenger who died on board — will remain on the Hondius as it sails to Rotterdam for full disinfection.
The WHO recommends daily health checks for all repatriated passengers for up to eight weeks, the typical incubation period for hantavirus.
Meanwhile, the outbreak’s reach extended far beyond Tenerife: British Army medics parachuted into the remote territory of Tristan da Cunha to treat a suspected case in one of its 221 residents, a former Hondius passenger.
As evacuation flights continue and monitoring intensifies, global health authorities insist the situation remains contained — but far from over.
