90-Second Read: Spanish government confirms new case of Hantavirus

The Spanish government said it has confirmed a new case of Hantavirus connected to the cruise ship MV Hondius, which became the center of an outbreak that killed three people earlier this month. The Spanish Health Ministry said the latest recorded case does not change the risk to the general public, nor the epidemiological response measures in place, as the case involved someone already within its activated isolation system. There have been no new deaths since May 2, when the outbreak was first reported to the World Health Organization.

A Spanish national who has been in preventive quarantine at a hospital in Madrid tested positive for the virus, the Health Ministry said in a statement. The new case involves a "close contact" of a person connected to the initial outbreak. The patient's positive case was detected during periodic testing of contacts of people associated with the outbreak.

Hantavirus is endemic in parts of South America but remains very rare among humans and has never before been recorded on a cruise ship. The incubation period for Hantavirus is up to six weeks. Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.