New suspected hantavirus cases in Spain and Tristan da Cunha linked to cruise ship
On Friday, two additional suspected hantavirus cases emerged in Spain and the isolated South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, both tied to an outbreak aboard the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius. A 32-year-old woman in Alicante exhibited symptoms after sitting briefly behind a Dutch passenger on a flight, who contracted the virus on the ship and subsequently passed away. Meanwhile, a British man from the MV Hondius is also believed to be infected on Tristan da Cunha, where the ship docked from April 13 to 15. Although the outbreak has been linked to three fatalities, the World Health Organization, represented by technical officer Anais Legand, maintains that the overall risk to the public remains low.
Key facts
- Two new suspected hantavirus cases reported on Friday.
- One case in Alicante, Spain; the other on Tristan da Cunha.
- Cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak.
- A 32-year-old woman in Alicante sat behind a Dutch woman on a plane who later died.
- A British man on Tristan da Cunha was a passenger on the MV Hondius.
- The MV Hondius stopped at Tristan da Cunha on April 13-15.
- Three deaths associated with the outbreak so far.
- WHO considers risk to general public low.
Entities
Institutions
- World Health Organization
- UK Health Security Agency
- Spanish health authorities
Locations
- Spain
- Alicante
- Tristan da Cunha
- South Atlantic
- Johannesburg
- Canary Islands
- MV Hondius