CDC Director Reassures Public as Hantavirus Outbreak Affects Cruise Ship Near Canary Islands

Three people have died and five others fell seriously ill from hantavirus after an outbreak aboard the expedition cruise ship MV 'Hondius', which was carrying around 150 passengers near Spain's Canary Islands, health officials confirmed. Acting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Jay Bhattacharya said the agency is managing the situation using long-standing protocols and urged the public against panic, stating, "This is not Covid."

The CDC has contacted all passengers, including 17 Americans on board, and is coordinating with the University of Nebraska's specialized medical facility for potential evacuations and quarantine. Seven American passengers disembarked weeks earlier after the first death and traveled to Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia; they remain under monitoring as hantavirus symptoms can appear up to six weeks after exposure.

Bhattacharya, also a National Institutes of Health (NIH) official and Stanford University professor, explained that person-to-person transmission of hantavirus is rare and requires close contact with symptomatic individuals. Because the returning passengers were asymptomatic during travel, the CDC is not conducting recursive contact tracing for airline travelers who may have been near them.

The response mirrors actions taken during the 2018 hantavirus outbreak in Epuyén, Argentina. Affected U.S. travelers will be offered either quarantine in Nebraska or safe transport home, depending on their health and living conditions. The CDC continues to monitor the situation and assess further public health risks.

The World Health Organization is coordinating with Spanish and regional health authorities as the MV 'Hondius' remains anchored near the Canary Islands, where remaining passengers are disembarking under medical supervision. The CDC will provide updated guidance as new data emerges from patient evaluations.