Spanish citizen evacuated from hantavirus-hit cruise ship tests positive

By Pau Mosquera, CNN

(CNN) — A Spanish national who was evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius and is isolating at a hospital in Madrid has tested positive of hantavirus, Spain’s Ministry of Health said Monday.

The patient is one of the 14 Spaniards who were aboard the MV Hondius. They have been in quarantine at the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid since May 10.

Authorities stated that the patient is a close contact identified through the epidemiological monitoring activated after the initial detection of the outbreak on the cruise ship.

After the case was confirmed, the patient was transferred to the hospital’s High-Level Isolation Unit (UATAN), where they will remain under specialized medical supervision.

The patient is the second Spaniard aboard the Hondius to test positive. As of May 26, the World Health Organization says there are 11 confirmed cases connected to the outbreak.

Following the confirmation, the health ministry sought to reassure the public, stating that the case was detected within the isolation and control system already in place. Therefore, it does not change the level of risk for the general population nor alter the epidemiological response measures currently underway.

Health authorities from several countries have been racing to trace and contain the hantavirus outbreak after three passengers died following MV Hondius’ departure from Argentina in April.

Dozens of passengers disembarked at the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena in late April while the remaining passengers left the boat at Spain’s Canary Islands in May before being flown back to their respective home countries. Additional crew members later disembarked from the ship in the Netherlands.

Incubation period

Infectious disease experts told CNN last week that passengers on board the ship since early May are within the window when they will be most likely to develop symptoms.

“No one would be surprised if there are others that test positive this upcoming week,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the University of Toronto said at the time.

The average incubation period for the virus (the time between infection and development of symptoms) is roughly three weeks, according to his research.

It can take as long as six weeks for symptoms to appear, which is why most countries are monitoring passengers for a minimum of 42 days counted from the day they got off the ship.

The virus is typically associated with rodents, but it may have passed from human to human aboard the vessel, according to the World Health Organization. It’s rare disease that can feel like the flu, causing fatigue, fever, chills and aches. Over time, the virus can damage the heart, lungs or kidneys and patients can suffer severe shortness of breath, organ failure, and even die.

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