The Indian Embassy in Spain confirmed on Sunday that two Indian crew members aboard the hantavirus-affected Dutch cruise vessel MV Hondius are “healthy and asymptomatic.” The crew members have been evacuated to the Netherlands for quarantine in accordance with health safety protocols.
According to the embassy’s statement, the Dutch-flagged vessel, which was carrying approximately 150 people, docked in Spain after anchoring off the Canary Islands due to the hantavirus outbreak onboard. The embassy noted that the Spanish National Center for Emergency Monitoring and Coordination (CENEM) verified the health status of the two Indian nationals, who were traveling as crew members.
“The two Indian nationals are healthy and asymptomatic,” the statement read. “They have been evacuated to the Netherlands where they will be quarantined as per relevant health safety protocol.” The Indian Ambassador is in close contact with Spanish authorities and the affected nationals, ensuring their safety and well-being.
Passengers aboard the MV Hondius were allowed to disembark following procedures laid out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Spanish authorities. In response to the outbreak, the WHO issued a technical note regarding the disembarkation and management of passengers and crew associated with the event.
The WHO urged member states to adopt a risk-based approach for identifying, monitoring, and managing contacts of probable or confirmed Andes virus (ANDV) cases linked to the cruise ship outbreak. The organization noted that ANDV is associated with limited human-to-human transmission, typically occurring with close and prolonged contact.
As of May 8, the WHO reported eight hantavirus cases, including three fatalities, with six cases laboratory-confirmed as Andes virus infections. In India, health experts sought to alleviate concerns regarding the two Indian crew members. Dr. Naveen Kumar, Director of the ICMR-National Institute of Virology in Pune, emphasized that the situation does not reflect community spread in India.
“Currently, the reported infections among Indian nationals aboard a cruise ship appear to be isolated imported cases and do not indicate community spread in India. Since hantavirus transmission is primarily rodent-borne and not easily spread between humans, the immediate public health risk remains low,” Dr. Kumar stated. He further added that human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains exceedingly rare.
