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Cruise ship with 150 passengers evacuated in Tenerife due to hantavirus outbreak
The evacuation of an international cruise ship in Tenerife has triggered a major health operation in Spain. The vessel, carrying around 150 passengers from 20 nationalities, was isolated this Sunday at the port of Granadilla de Abona after a hantavirus outbreak was detected on board, a situation that has put health authorities and travellers following the case on alert.
Among the evacuated passengers are five Catalans and nine Spaniards, who have been transferred under preventive measures to Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla, where they will remain in isolation and under medical observation. According to the Ministerio de Sanidad, none are showing symptoms at present, although epidemiological monitoring remains in place.
Disembarkation is being carried out in stages, with medical checks and health questionnaires before leaving the ship. Passengers are taken directly to Tenerife Sur airport to organise repatriations according to nationality, while luggage remains on board to reduce possible exposure risks.
The situation is also having an impact in Catalonia. At Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, a woman remains in preventive quarantine after sharing a flight with a Dutch passenger who later died from hantavirus. Although doctors believe the exposure was limited and the patient remains asymptomatic, the case has reinforced monitoring of recent travellers.
The outbreak has once again highlighted health protocols on cruise ships and at international airports, especially in a context of high mobility between countries. Hospitals, ports and public health services are maintaining coordination to trace contacts and anticipate possible related cases.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially serious infection that can cause haemorrhagic fever and severe respiratory complications. The virus is usually transmitted through contact with the droppings, saliva or urine of infected rodents and, although person-to-person transmission is rare, some outbreaks recorded in the Americas have required the activation of isolation and intensive monitoring protocols. Authorities stress that the risk to the general population remains low, but remind that rapid detection and control are key to preventing more serious situations.