American and French Nationals Test Positive After Leaving Hantavirus Cruise Ship

An American and a French national who returned home after leaving a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have tested positive for the virus, authorities reported.

The US health department said a second American on the repatriation flight showed mild symptoms. Both passengers traveled back in biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution.

French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said a woman was isolating in Paris and her health was deteriorating. Authorities have traced 22 contact cases.

More than 90 passengers from the MV Hondius, now docked in Spain's Canary Islands, are being repatriated.

Three passengers—a Dutch couple and a German woman—died after traveling on the vessel. Two of them tested positive for hantavirus.

Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents. Human transmission of the Andes strain—which the World Health Organization believes some Dutch passengers contracted in South America—is possible.

In a statement early Monday, the US Department of Health and Human Services said all 17 US citizens on the flight will undergo clinical assessment at a medical facility in Nebraska.

Seven other US passengers had already returned home and are under monitoring in their states.

A British national who resides in the US was evacuated with the 17 Americans.

Before the American case was confirmed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the US decision not to follow WHO guidelines on the outbreak may carry risks.

The WHO recommended 42 days of isolation for those leaving the MV Hondius.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he did not want to cause public panic. He insisted human-to-human transmission is rare and the situation should not be treated like Covid.

Passengers wore blue gowns, bouffant caps and medical face masks as they disembarked Sunday at the port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife.

Those passengers flew into Manchester Airport on a chartered flight from Tenerife and went to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for 72 hours of isolation. None reported symptoms.