US authorities have officially announced a positive hantavirus test in one of their citizens who was on board the vessel MV Hondius. The passenger is being prepared for evacuation to a specialized isolation unit in Nebraska.
Passengers disembark from the cruise ship MV Hondius in Tenerife, Canary Islands, May 10, 2026. Photo: AP Photo / Manu Fernandez
The US Department of Health and Human Services reported that the infected American is one of 17 US citizens currently being evacuated from the Canary Islands by charter flights.
A large-scale evacuation operation began Sunday morning at the port of Tenerife. Passengers are being transported directly from the ship to planes for repatriation.
The American passenger with a positive test will be transported to the National Biocontainment Unit in Nebraska – a facility capable of providing the necessary level of safety for treating such dangerous infections.
Hantavirus, typically carried by rodents, causes severe damage to the body with a high risk of death.
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