Spain successfully wraps hantavirus-ship evacuation, says health minister

The hantavirus-hit MV Hondius departed the Spanish island of Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday (May 11) as the last six passengers and some crew members were evacuated from the luxury cruise ship.

"We’ve just successfully wrapped up the operation," Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said.

The disembarkation caps a complex operation that has so far resulted in 94 people being evacuated and repatriated to their countries of residence, 41 days after the MV Hondius set off from southern Argentina and nine days after the first positive test result for the respiratory viral infection.

By evacuating the ship in Tenerife rather than obliging passengers to quarantine onboard, authorities sought to strike a balance between protecting public safety and preserving the mental health of the passengers, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the press conference in Tenerife.

"There was even mental breakdown for some of the passengers. It's very difficult to stay for weeks in a small container," Tedros said.

WHO said on Monday there were now seven confirmed cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus, and two other suspected cases - one who died before being tested, and one on Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic island where there were no tests available.

Production: Nina Lopez/Reuters