A French woman and an American national tested positive for hantavirus on Monday after being evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship [1, 2].

The discovery of the virus on a passenger vessel triggers strict quarantine protocols to prevent a wider outbreak and requires international coordination between health agencies.

The MV Hondius was docked in Tenerife, Canary Islands, when the outbreak prompted the evacuation and testing of passengers [1, 3]. The French woman was flown to Paris for medical care, where she is reported to be in serious condition [1].

U.S. health officials said one of the 17 American passengers evacuated from the ship and flown to Nebraska also tested positive for the hantavirus [3]. That passenger is currently at a quarantine facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and is not showing any symptoms [3].

Earlier in the process, five French passengers disembarked in Tenerife before the broader evacuation took place [1]. The current total of passengers confirmed positive for the virus is two [2].

Health authorities are working to manage the situation without causing widespread alarm. "This is not COVID and we don't want to treat it like COVID," the CDC Acting Director said. "We don't want to cause a public panic over this" [4].

Medical teams continue to monitor the asymptomatic American passenger and the hospitalized French woman as they determine the source of the exposure on the vessel [1, 3].

“Two passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius are in isolation after testing positive for the virus.”

Hantaviruses are typically zoonotic, meaning they spread from animals to humans, and are not generally known for efficient human-to-human transmission. The decision to quarantine 17 Americans and isolate the French patient suggests a cautious approach by health officials to monitor for any atypical transmission patterns within the confined environment of a cruise ship.