Hantavirus outbreak: MV Hondius reaches Tenerife for ‘unprecedented’ evacuation

The cruise ship MV Hondius has reached Tenerife in the Canary Islands nearly a month after a passenger died from the rare Andes strain of hantavirus.

The ship arrived near the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife before dawn. To prevent potential spread, a one-nautical-mile security perimeter is being enforced, and the ship will anchor at sea rather than docking directly at the pier.

Spain’s military police and disaster response teams have restricted waterfront access and erected large reception tents. 

The operation is being described by Health Minister Monica Garcia as "unprecedented" in its scale and complexity. Once the ship is positioned on Sunday morning, medical teams will board to screen all passengers.

Currently, reports indicate that no other individuals are showing symptoms of the virus. The operation involves 23 countries; primarily the UK, US and various EU member states are sending aircraft-including medical equipped planes- to fly their citizens home. 

Spanish nationals are set to disembark first with other nationalities to follow in groups. Government officials arrived on Saturday to coordinate the effort.

Meanwhile, thirty crew members will remain on board and sail to the Netherlands, where the ship will be disinfected. The ship departed for Spain from the coast of Cape Verde on Wednesday. 

The mission is being managed by Spain at the specific request of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Tenerife on Saturday evening to coordinate with Spain's interior, health, and territorial policy ministers.

The WHO confirmed that eight people have fallen ill. There have been three deaths to date: a Dutch couple and a German national. Of the eight affected individuals, six cases are confirmed to be the hantavirus, while two remains suspected. 

While Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents to humans, this specific outbreak involves a strain capable of person-to-person transmission. 

The WHO classifies the risk to the global population as low, but maintains that the risk to the passengers and crew currently on the ship is moderate.