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Concern grows in Madrid over possible Spanish travellers exposed to hantavirus on polar cruise
The alert over the hantavirus outbreak detected on the MV Hondius cruise ship continues to grow in Spain. The Comunidad de Madrid has asked the Ministerio de Sanidad to confirm whether more Spanish travellers may have been exposed to the virus during the voyage between Antártida y Ushuaia, a possibility that is particularly concerning due to the difficulty of tracing contacts on international trips of this kind.
The Madrid health councillor, Fátima Matute, has sent a letter to minister Mónica García requesting detailed information about possible Spanish passengers who may have coincided with the affected group, even if they are no longer on board the ship. The request comes after several Navarrese media outlets reported the possible coincidence of nine travellers from Navarra with some of those affected during the journey made at the beginning of April.
Madrid insists on the need to speed up preventive tracing and calls for Sanidad Exterior to contact the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions directly to identify all people who shared enclosed spaces or activities with the confirmed cases. The main concern is for those who have already returned to Spain and may have travelled between different autonomous communities.
Health authorities remind the public that the risk to the general population remains low and that hantavirus is not transmitted through the air like other respiratory viruses. Nevertheless, monitoring travellers and close contacts is considered key to avoiding complications and adapting health protocols if necessary.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially serious infection that can cause severe respiratory complications and require hospitalisation. The virus is usually transmitted through contact with the droppings, saliva, or urine of infected rodents, and some outbreaks recorded in the Americas have shown a high mortality rate. Although authorities stress that the risk of infection for the general population is low, tracing and isolation protocols remain essential to detect possible cases in time and prevent the outbreak from spreading.