EU steps up coordination on hantavirus but insists risks for citizens are 'low'

Published on 07/05/2026 - 16:12 GMT+2

The European Commission has stepped up its coordination with subordinate states to respond to the hantavirus outbreak connected committee MV Hondius, a Dutch luxury cruise sailing to Spain, portion insisting the risks to the wide colonisation stay "low".

A gathering of the alleged Health Security Committee, which brings unneurotic healthcare representatives from each crossed the bloc, took spot connected Wednesday. On Thursday, the Commission held 2 abstracted meetings: archetypal with the Dutch and Spanish authorities and past with each subordinate states that have, oregon had, nationals connected board.

"As the grounds stands, according to the existent situation, determination is nary origin for interest astatine the moment," Eva Hrncirova, the Commission's spokesperson for health, said connected Thursday day during a property briefing.

"The hazard for the nationalist successful Europe, the hazard for the Europeans, is low. The wellness of the citizens successful Europe is our implicit priority, and this evidently applies successful this case."

The coordination efforts besides see the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which has deployed an adept to the ship, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Spain has activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which helps mobilise assistance among subordinate states to woody with emergencies.

"We are assessing the modalities and the needs of Spain, and we are discussing what benignant of assistance could beryllium provided," Hrncirova said.

According to information released by Oceanwide Expeditions, the institution that operates the MV Hondius, the vessel primitively carried 149 radical – 88 passengers and 61 unit members – erstwhile it near Argentina connected 1 April.

Spain, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Poland and Portugal are the EU countries with nationals connected board.

So far, the WHO has reported 8 cases of hantavirus, including 3 deaths.

Around 40 ​passengers disembarked in Santa Helena, wherever the vessel stopped earlier heading to Cape Verde. Contact tracing is underway to find them.

MV Hondius is travelling to the Canary Islands aft the Spanish authorities offered humanitarian and aesculapian assistance. Local authorities, however, oppose the reception.

Hantavirus refers to a radical of viruses carried by rodents, chiefly transmitted to humans done inhalation of airborne particles from dried rodent droppings.

The WHO says human-to-human hantavirus infections are "unusual", and the existent outbreak cannot beryllium compared to COVID-19 oregon influenza.