One of the 14 Spanish evacuees from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius on Sunday has tested preliminarily positive for the virus, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said Monday.
Garcia wrote on X that one of the Spanish passengers currently under isolation at Madrid's Gomez Ulla hospital had tested preliminarily positive in a PCR test conducted upon arrival.
"The person remains in isolation, without symptoms and in general good health, under continued clinical observation in accordance with established safety and epidemiological protocols," she wrote.
The other 13 Spaniards tested provisionally negative, while final results were expected in the coming hours, the minister said.
According to health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak is believed to involve the Andes strain of hantavirus, a variant known for possible person-to-person transmission through close contact. The virus is typically transmitted through exposure to infected rodent urine or droppings.
The Spanish evacuees were transferred to Madrid as part of an evacuation operation launched after the MV Hondius arrived in Spain's Canary Islands over the weekend.
Multiple confirmed and suspected cases have so far been linked to the outbreak, including passengers transferred to several countries for treatment and monitoring.
The final group of evacuees left the ship on Monday after the vessel briefly docked at the Port of Granadilla on the Spanish island of Tenerife due to adverse weather conditions. The ship later departed for Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
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