The Spanish Government has proposed evacuating passengers with symptoms and high-risk contacts of the hantavirus outbreak detected on an international cruise ship in Cape Verde, with the aim of the ship continuing its route without the need to stop in the Canary Islands.

First modification: 05/05/2026 - 18:51

A decision pending epidemiological data. The Spanish Ministry of Health, led by Mónica García, considers that, if this evacuation is carried out and no new cases appear during the voyage, "there would be no clinical reason" for the ship to dock in Spanish territory.

However, it leaves open the possibility of providing assistance in the Canary archipelago if new infections arise during the journey, in application of the relief principle.

The Spanish position contrasts with the initial approach of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working with the scenario of moving the cruise ship to the Canary Islands to subject it to a complete epidemiological investigation, disinfection and risk assessment of the passengers.

Health has stressed that any decision will depend on the data obtained after the inspection of the ship in Cape Verde, where a team of epidemiologists will analyze the situation on board. Until then, Spain does not confirm that it will receive the ship, although it recognizes its humanitarian obligation and the capacity of the health system to deal with possible cases.

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Government sources also indicate that the final decision on the destination of the cruise corresponds to the shipping company, Oceanwide Expeditions, whose ship carries 147 people of 23 nationalities, including 14 Spaniards.

Read alsoWhat is hantavirus and how is it transmitted?: keys to the outbreak on a cruise ship that leaves at least three dead

Canary Islands reject the arrival of the ship

The possible docking in the Canary Islands generates reluctance among local authorities. The president of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, has stated that the ship “must be attended to where it is” and has asked that any alternative decision be duly justified.

Along the same lines, the director of the Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies, Fernando Simón, has indicated that the risk is “not high” and has called for managing the situation with proportionality, remembering that transmission between people is very rare.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health insists that the risk for the Spanish population is “extremely low” and warns against the spread of hoaxes that could generate social alarm.

According to passenger testimonies, the ship maintains prevention protocols such as the use of masks, social distancing and limiting crowds, in addition to offering isolation in cabins for those who request it.

The future of the cruise will now depend on the epidemiological evaluation in Cape Verde. If no new cases are detected, Spain is committed to preventing their arrival in the Canary Islands; Otherwise, a stopover is not ruled out to care for those affected in centers prepared for this type of illness.

The WHO confirms seven cases, including three deaths

The WHO has raised the number of people affected by the outbreak to seven, including three deaths and two laboratory-confirmed cases. Among the sick, one remains admitted to intensive care in South Africa with a favorable evolution, while others remain on board with symptoms.

The hantavirus is usually transmitted through contact with rodents or their excrement, although the organization is studying the possibility of contagion between people in this case, a rare route mainly associated with the Andes variant of the virus. Even so, the agency insists that the risk to the general population is low.

Investigations suggest that the infection could have occurred before shipment, given that the incubation period ranges between one and six weeks and no rodents have been detected on the ship.

With Reuters and EFE

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