**Three Dead in Hantavirus Outbreak on M/V Hondius as Ship Heads to Canary Islands for Evacuation**

The M/V Hondius cruise ship is scheduled to anchor off Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, where all 150 people on board will be evacuated following an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus that has caused three deaths. The World Health Organization’s director-general is traveling to Tenerife to observe the operation.

American passengers are to be transported by the U.S. government to a military base in Nebraska for isolation and monitoring rather than released into the general population.

According to a CDC official, no mandatory quarantine is planned for the returning Americans. Officials instead intend to monitor them at the Nebraska facility by checking vital signs including temperature, oxygen levels and blood pressure. A physician told Fox News that if symptoms develop, early intervention is possible through supportive care such as oxygen, fluids and hydration, since no specific treatment exists for the virus.

The director-general posted a message on X stating that the current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. He wrote, “I know you are worried. ” He noted that the virus aboard the MV Hondius is the Andes strain of hantavirus, that it is serious, and that three people have lost their lives.

President Donald Trump addressed the outbreak on Friday, stating that experts are familiar with the virus and that it does not spread easily. “We have very good people looking at it. It seems to be okay. They know the virus very well. They’ve worked with it for a long time,” Trump told reporters.

The vessels’ operators have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government in available statements. Canary Islands authorities have prepared facilities on Tenerife to receive the group for health screenings, contact tracing and medical evaluations.

The ship’s evacuation procedures will involve controlled transfers to prevent further spread.