The World Health Organization urged countries to quarantine and monitor exposed people for 42 days after the last potential exposure after a hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. [1, 2]
The outbreak is tied to the Andes virus strain, which can spread between humans. The WHO said countries should strengthen health coordination, contact tracing and surveillance of suspected cases. [1, 2]
WHO said returning passengers should undergo active monitoring and daily symptom checks for the full 42-day incubation period. It also warned that anyone who develops early symptoms or sudden respiratory distress should inform health authorities at once and self-isolate until doctors assess them. [1]
The ship carried nearly 150 people, and the WHO said the isolation period began when the MV Hondius arrived in the Canary Islands on 2026-05-10. The agency told AFP on 2026-05-11 that the monitoring period should run for the full incubation window after the last possible exposure. [1]
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called for closer coordination with neighboring states, the European Union and the Schengen Area. He said France's health minister had already contacted several European countries that received passengers from the ship. “I have asked the ministers to immediately strengthen cooperation with neighboring states and to push for closer coordination of the health protocols in place within the European Union and the Schengen Area,” Lecornu said. [2]
Lecornu also said 11 infections and 3 deaths had been recorded, and that evacuated passengers and crew came from 23 countries. He said a French national evacuated in Spain later tested positive and was in intensive care in stable condition on 2026-05-11. [2]
Responses have varied by country. Lecornu said the Netherlands allowed home quarantine with outdoor walks, Spain used a 42-day military-hospital quarantine and Canada had set an initial 21-day isolation period. He said France's response was “reinforced quarantine in a hospital setting” for all contact cases. [2]
The WHO and French authorities are pressing for continued monitoring of exposed passengers through the 42-day period, with health officials in Europe and beyond sharing contact-tracing information and quarantine decisions. [1, 2]
