Key points
- Evacuation flights left Tenerife carrying cruise ship passengers infected with hantavirus.
- The WHO recommended a 42-day quarantine, but rules vary widely by country.
- Three deaths have been confirmed and several people remain hospitalised.
- The virus was first detected on May 2 in a British passenger in Johannesburg.
A hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has triggered coordinated evacuation flights out of Tenerife, with passengers returning to countries that are applying very different quarantine rules.
What happened
Evacuation flights departed Tenerife carrying cruise ship passengers infected with hantavirus, bound for Spain, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, and the US.
The virus was first detected on May 2 in Johannesburg, in a British passenger. According to reporting on the outbreak, the first death may have occurred before boarding, possibly during travel in Argentina and Chile. Thirty crew members remained aboard to sail the ship to the Netherlands for disinfection.
The human toll
Three deaths have been confirmed: a Dutch couple and one German national. Four people remained hospitalised in South Africa, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Eight people who had left the ship fell ill, with six confirmed cases.
Quarantine rules differ by country
The World Health Organization recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers, but national policies diverge sharply:
| Country | Quarantine approach |
|---|---|
| Spain | 42 days hospitalisation |
| France | 72 hours hospitalisation plus 45 days home isolation |
| United States | Choice of home isolation or a Nebraska quarantine facility |
WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove described the guidance plainly: “Our recommendation is daily health checks, at home or in a specialized facility…our recommendations are very clear.” Acting US CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya drew a distinction with the last major outbreak: “This is not COVID, and we don’t want to treat it like COVID.”
What travellers should do
Because quarantine and health-screening measures differ so much between countries, anyone affected by this outbreak should follow the instructions of their national health authority and the WHO. Entry-document requirements are separate from these health measures; check official government guidance before rebooking travel.
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