BRUSSELS / EuroWire / — The European Commission on Tuesday said it is coordinating a European response to the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, after health authorities reported 11 cases in total, including nine confirmed infections, two probable cases and three deaths. The Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship arrived in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10, and disembarkation and repatriation of passengers and crew were completed on May 11, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The Commission said Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on May 6, allowing the bloc’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre to support the safe evacuation of people on board. Five EU-coordinated and co-funded repatriation flights departed Tenerife on May 10, carried out by France, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland, while a sixth and final flight operated by the Netherlands took place on May 11. The Commission also said it pre-positioned a Norway-hosted medical evacuation aircraft in Tenerife and kept additional transport, logistics and protective equipment on standby.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the virus involved is Andes hantavirus, the only hantavirus known to spread between people, typically through close and prolonged contact. ECDC has assessed the risk to the general population in the European Union and European Economic Area as very low and said infection prevention and control measures were already in place on the ship. The agency said it deployed experts from the EU Health Task Force before disembarkation and has been issuing daily updates as passengers returned to their home countries.
EU evacuation and coordination
The Commission said its Health Security Committee, which brings together national health authorities, has been coordinating a common approach to safe disembarkation, repatriation and passenger follow-up. An opinion issued on May 11 set out recommendations on post-repatriation management, sequencing, research and information-sharing as the outbreak develops. The Commission said it has been working with Spain, member states, countries participating in the civil protection mechanism, the World Health Organization and other partners, with daily coordination contacts to align operational plans and case follow-up.
According to the World Health Organization, the cluster was first reported on May 2, when 147 passengers and crew were still on board and 34 others had already disembarked earlier in the voyage. WHO’s latest outbreak notice, issued on May 8, listed eight cases including three deaths, while later ECDC updates raised the total to 11 by May 12. WHO said the risk to the global population was low and the risk for passengers and crew was moderate, and recommended monitoring for symptoms for 42 days after last potential exposure.
Monitoring and medical readiness
The European Medicines Agency said on May 12 that it is actively monitoring the outbreak in coordination with other EU bodies. EMA said there are currently no authorized antiviral treatments or vaccines for hantavirus and that clinical management relies on supportive care and timely access to critical care. The agency said it has mapped developers working on antivirals, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines as part of its preparedness work, while reiterating ECDC’s assessment that the risk to the general population in Europe remains very low.
The outbreak has centered on the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged wildlife expedition vessel carrying passengers and crew from 23 countries, including nine EU and EEA countries, according to the European Commission and ECDC. EU authorities have framed the response as a cross-border public health and civil protection operation focused on evacuation, isolation, tracing and follow-up rather than evidence of wider community spread in Europe. Officials have continued to stress that the immediate priority is coordinated management of passengers and crew as national authorities monitor for symptoms after repatriation.