The European Commission is coordinating and supporting national authorities in their response to a hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, anchored off Tenerife, Spain. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has assessed the risk to the general population in Europe as very low, even as evacuation and containment operations continue.

Evacuation Operations Under Way

Since Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on 6 May, the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre has been facilitating the safe evacuation of passengers aboard the vessel. A total of six repatriation flights were coordinated by the EU — five of which took place on Sunday, carried out by France, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, and Ireland. A sixth and final flight, operated by the Netherlands, departed on Monday, according to the Commission.

EU Resources Pre-Positioned in Tenerife

The EU is mobilising response capabilities and stockpiles from its strategic reserve. A medical evacuation aircraft from the EU fleet, hosted by Norway, has been pre-positioned in Tenerife, while additional transport, logistics capacities, and protective equipment remain ready for deployment if needed. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre has also deployed a liaison officer to Tenerife to support on-site coordination with relevant authorities.

Notably, the ECDC deployed two experts from the EU Health Task Force to the ship before passengers disembarked — an early intervention aimed at assessing exposure risk and advising on containment protocols.

What the EU and Global Partners Are Doing

The EU is working closely with member states, countries participating in the Civil Protection Mechanism, the World Health Organization (WHO), and G7 partners in managing the outbreak. Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib underscored the importance of cross-border coordination, saying that health threats can easily cross borders and that coordination is therefore essential.

What Is Hantavirus and How Does It Spread

According to the WHO, hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans, sometimes causing severe illness and death. In Europe and Asia, hantavirus infection is known to cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels. In the Americas, the virus can lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart.

Transmission occurs through contact with contaminated urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents, and less commonly through rodent bites. High-risk activities include cleaning poorly ventilated spaces, farming, forestry work, and sleeping in rodent-infested dwellings. There is currently no specific cure for hantavirus disease; early supportive medical care focused on respiratory, cardiac, and kidney management remains the primary approach to improving survival outcomes.

What Comes Next

With the final repatriation flight completed, attention will shift to monitoring repatriated passengers for symptoms and assessing whether the outbreak remains contained to the ship environment. The ECDC's continued risk assessment and WHO coordination will be critical in determining whether any further public health measures are warranted across Europe.