A Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius has tested provisional positive for hantavirus in the PCR test conducted upon arrival at the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid, as confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of Health this Monday.
The patient is a man who was part of the passengers, not the crew, and he is asymptomatic and in good general condition, reported the news agency EFE.
The other 13 Spanish passengers isolated in the same hospital tested negative in their respective tests, although they remain in quarantine.
After the provisional result was known, the patient was transferred to the High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit (UATAN) of the hospital, located on the 22nd floor, which operates with negative pressure and maximum security protocols.
In the coming hours, a second PCR test will be conducted, which will also be analyzed at the National Microbiology Center to confirm or rule out the result.
The Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, explained to Cadena SER that the healthcare team immediately informed the patient of the result, as he needed to be transferred to a unit with an even higher level of isolation and protective equipment.
"We will take care of him and treat him in the best possible way," declared Padilla, who emphasized the "strong" emotional impact on the citizen, who has psychological support, just like the others in isolation.
Regarding whether the quarantine time for the other passengers could vary, Padilla noted that this Tuesday it will be assessed which date is considered the "day zero" of their contact with the positive cruiser, although he clarified that "in theory, there should have been no contact in these last few days."
The quarantine of the 14 Spaniards at Gómez Ulla began on May 6 and may be extended for a maximum of 42 days, that is, until June 17.
Padilla also made it clear that the workers who participated in the evacuation of the positive patient are not considered contacts, given the strict security measures established during the operation.
The Spanish case is not the only positive recorded this Monday among those repatriated from the Hondius. France confirmed a positive case among its five repatriates: a woman who developed symptoms during the flight back and was admitted to intensive care in Paris.
Among the 17 Americans evacuated from the cruise, one tested positive without symptoms and another developed symptoms.
The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 with 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 nationalities on a 46-day itinerary to Antarctica and the South Atlantic. The first death on board was recorded on April 11; on May 2, the Andes virus was officially identified as the cause of the outbreak.
As of May 8, the World Health Organization reported a total of eight cases—six confirmed by PCR and two probable—and three deaths, labeling the incident as the first documented hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship.
The Andes virus is the only strain among more than 20 known variants of hantavirus with documented person-to-person transmission, although it only occurs in close and prolonged contacts, with a mortality rate of up to 50% in severe cases.
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