European and US health authorities are investigating a widening hantavirus outbreak linked to passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, after several infections were confirmed and one patient remains in a serious condition.
France’s health minister, Stéphanie Rist, said officials are still unable to determine whether the circulating strain of hantavirus has mutated, warning that “there are things we don’t know” about the pathogen.
She said: “We do not yet have the complete sequence of the virus.”
Adding: “We do not yet have the complete sequence of the virus… We cannot be certain that this virus has not yet mutated.”
The comments came after a French woman who disembarked the vessel in Tenerife was reported to be in a serious condition. Four other French passengers tested negative but are being retested as a precaution, according to authorities.
Health officials in France have now identified 22 suspected contact cases linked to the outbreak.
Separately, US authorities confirmed that one of 17 American nationals evacuated from the ship has tested positive and has been transported on a medical repatriation flight to Nebraska.
The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday, where Spanish authorities began a controlled evacuation, transferring passengers to shore in smaller vessels grouped by nationality.
Three deaths have now been associated with the outbreak, either onboard or after disembarkation, according to officials.
In the UK, twenty British nationals, along with a German resident and a Japanese passenger, were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral for assessment and monitoring.
The UK Health Security Agency said clinical testing and strict infection control procedures are underway, with all transfers carried out under full protective measures.
Officials said passengers, crew and medical staff wore personal protective equipment throughout the evacuation and hospital admission process.
Another British national has tested positive and is isolating on Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic island, where military medical support has been deployed to assist care efforts.
The outbreak has triggered an international response involving coordinated surveillance, testing, and contact tracing across several countries, as health agencies work to establish the virus’s source and behaviour.
Hantavirus infections are typically associated with contact with infected rodents or contaminated environments, and severe cases can lead to serious respiratory complications.
Authorities across Europe and the US are continuing to monitor all passengers linked to the outbreak on the cruise ship as investigations intensify.
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