Italy and Spain Confirm No Hantavirus Infections Among Monitored Passengers
Health authorities in Italy and Spain reported that all 17 people under observation for possible hantavirus infection tested negative. Four individuals were monitored in Italy, including an Argentine tourist, a Calabrian resident, and two British travelers, while 13 were evaluated in a military hospital in Madrid, Spain. Both countries said the risk of hantavirus spread remains very low in Europe.
The cases are linked to an outbreak on the MV Hondius, an expedition cruise that departed from Argentina. The World Health Organization continues to monitor the situation, noting nine confirmed cases and three deaths associated with the ship, but emphasizing that the current scenario does not pose a pandemic‑level threat. European health agencies have maintained a six‑week quarantine protocol for asymptomatic passengers, extending up to late June, while surveillance continues during the virus’s incubation period.