Hantavirus Outbreak Grows to 11 Cases, 18 Americans Among MV Hondius Passengers Disembarked

The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak has now grown to 11 total cases, with 9 confirmed by laboratory testing, according to the latest reporting from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. The death toll remains at three.

The newest confirmed case is a Spanish passenger who was in quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid, pushing the tally higher just as the final passengers completed disembarkation in Tenerife.

MV Hondius current status, May 2026: Passengers disembarked. Among those who left the ship, 18 Americans were repatriated. Of these, 16, including one asymptomatic positive case, are being held at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Two others, including one showing symptoms, were transferred to Emory University in Atlanta.

A French woman who fell ill aboard her repatriation flight to Paris has been confirmed positive for the virus, and is currently in stable condition in intensive care.

In a striking domestic development, 12 Dutch hospital staff were placed in quarantine after improperly handling the bodily fluids of a hantavirus patient, underlining the critical importance of proper biosafety protocols even in hospital settings.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Madrid, acknowledged more cases are likely given the 4–42 day incubation period, but maintained: "There is no sign we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak."

No cases have been identified outside of MV Hondius passengers.