90-Second Read: Spain reports new Hantavirus case in passenger evacuated from cruise ship as outbreak grows to 11

Spain's health ministry says a Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of a Hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus. The last remaining passengers on a cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak disembarked Monday and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine. Health authorities say it's the first Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. The Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is seen at anchor at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. The passenger with the new confirmed case of Hantavirus was in quarantine in a military hospital in Madrid, where 13 other Spanish nationals evacuated Sunday, who all tested negative for the virus, also are staying.

The director of the World Health Organization, who was in Madrid, said all 11 confirmed cases are among passengers or crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship, including three people who died. A total of 87 passengers and 35 crew were escorted from the ship to shore in Tenerife by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks in a carefully choreographed effort that ended Monday night. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. With the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected. Nine of the 11 cases have been confirmed as the Andes virus.

The French government was holding two new Hantavirus emergency meetings Tuesday, the prime minister said. While there is no cure or vaccine for Hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates. Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. He added that WHO cannot enforce its guidance, and that different countries may handle the monitoring of passengers without symptoms in different ways. The Dutch nationals were taken home to quarantine and the others, including 17 crew members from the Philippines, were sent to a quarantine facility set up by Dutch health authorities.

In a Paris hospital, a French woman evacuated from the stricken ship remained in intensive care in stable condition. A second plane landed later in Eindhoven chartered by Australian authorities and carrying six Hondius passengers, four Australians, one person from New Zealand and a British national who lives in Australia, according to the Dutch foreign ministry. It said the passengers will remain in quarantine near the airport and continue their journey toward Australia "as soon as possible." Australian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for more details. WHO chief Tedros has advised that returning passengers should stay in quarantine, either in their homes or in other facilities, for 42 days. Twelve employees at a Dutch hospital where a passenger from the Hondius is being treated have to quarantine.