health
May 7, 2026
Hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius cleared to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands
Spain has agreed to receive the MV Hondius after WHO requested help managing a suspected hantavirus outbreak that killed three people aboard the cruise ship
TL;DR
- The MV Hondius cruise ship, with a suspected hantavirus outbreak, will dock in Spain's Canary Islands.
- Spain agreed to the docking on humanitarian grounds at the request of the WHO and EU.
- Three people have died, one is critically ill, and three have mild symptoms among 147 passengers and crew.
- The WHO stated the outbreak poses a low risk to the global population.
- Evacuations are being arranged for critically ill individuals to the Netherlands and South Africa.
- Hantavirus infections are typically linked to rodents, but rare human-to-human transmission is being investigated.