Spanish doctors told a woman who later tested positive for hantavirus that her symptoms were 'probably just anxiety', according to Spain's health minister. The French national became ill with the rare disease after being evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship at Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday.
Misdiagnosis by Spanish Health Officials
Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Spain's health minister, told The Guardian that doctors from the Spanish foreign health service initially dismissed her symptoms. 'They were not thinking that these symptoms were compatible with hantavirus,' he said. 'Why? Because what she was telling [them] was [that she had] an episode of coughing some days ago that had disappeared, and what she was having at that moment was kind of like stress or anxiety or nervousness. So it was not catalogued [as hantavirus].'
Critical Condition and Outbreak Details
The World Health Organization reported that the woman is in 'very critical' condition. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed that health checks on the ship were conducted by onboard medical doctors, but an epidemiologist did not perform clinical examinations of passengers.
Since the MV Hondius departed Argentina for remote islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean nearly six weeks ago, three people have died. At least seven others who were on the ship have fallen ill or tested positive for hantavirus.
WHO Assessment and Future Cases
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that there is 'no sign' of a hantavirus pandemic, but warned that more cases are likely because symptoms can take up to eight weeks to appear. 'While they were still on the ship, even if they were taking some preventive measures… we would expect more cases,' he added.
Understanding Hantavirus
Hantavirus, sometimes called the 'rat virus', is a rare family of pathogens carried by rodents. There is no vaccine or cure. The virus spreads through contact with faeces, urine, and saliva of infected rodents. Early symptoms—fever, chills, or body aches—can be mistaken for flu but may escalate to heart or lung failure. The outbreak involves the Andes strain, endemic to South America, including Argentina, where the ship departed on April 1.
Dr Stathis Giotis, a lecturer in life sciences at the University of Essex, told Metro that the Andes hantavirus is the only known strain transmissible between humans, though such cases are rare. 'It is clearly a serious situation for those directly affected and it deserves careful public health follow-up, but there is no evidence at present that this represents a broader epidemic threat,' he said.
Quarantine and Evacuation Efforts
Twelve Dutch hospital workers at Radboudumc university medical centre have been quarantined for six weeks after failing to follow strict protocols when taking blood from a hantavirus patient and improperly disposing of urine. Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions reported that 87 guests and 35 crew have been flown home, including 20 British holidaymakers now isolating at a Merseyside hospital. Twenty-seven people, mostly workers and medical professionals, remain on board the ship, which is sailing to Rotterdam, Netherlands.
