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One of the 17 American travelers evacuated from a cruise ship docked in the Canary Islands has tested positive for hantavirus, despite showing no symptoms, U.S. health officials confirmed late Sunday.
The group disembarked from the MV Hondius upon its arrival in Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands off Africa’s northwest coast, and were transported via chartered flight to the United States. The plane was scheduled to land in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday morning.
Upon arrival, one passenger who tested positive will be admitted to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit for monitoring, while the remaining travelers will be sent to the National Quarantine Unit for further evaluation, according to Kayla Thomas, spokesperson for The Nebraska Medical Center. None of the other passengers have shown signs of illness.
Initially, the Americans were to be taken to the University of Nebraska’s federally funded isolation facility, where healthcare personnel would assess potential exposure to symptomatic individuals and evaluate the risk of transmission.
Passengers began returning home Sunday aboard military and government aircraft after the ship docked in Tenerife. Crew members wearing full protective gear and respirators escorted passengers to shore.
Spanish nationals were among the first to disembark and were transported to a military medical facility in Madrid. Shortly thereafter, a plane carrying French evacuees landed in Paris, where emergency teams were on standby. Evacuations from Tenerife involved passengers representing more than 20 countries in a coordinated operation extending into Monday.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported that one of five French passengers developed symptoms during the flight and was immediately isolated and tested upon arrival.
Prior to these developments, Spain’s Health Ministry, the World Health Organization, and cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions stated that none of the more than 140 individuals remaining on the MV Hondius had exhibited symptoms.
Since the outbreak began, there have been three fatalities and five passengers who left the ship earlier have tested positive for hantavirus. Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as investigations proceed.