A cruise ship dealing with a hantavirus outbreak arrived in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where passengers and some crew members were to be evacuated, according to reports from NBC News and CBS News.
The ship docked in Tenerife after the outbreak was identified aboard the vessel. Hantavirus is a rare but serious illness typically transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, urine, or saliva. Person-to-person transmission of the strains most commonly seen outside of South America is considered rare.
Passengers were set to be evacuated from the ship upon its arrival in the Canary Islands, along with some crew members. Neither NBC News nor CBS News reported the total number of people aboard or the precise number of confirmed hantavirus cases at the time of docking.
The arrival in Tenerife marked a significant step in the response to the outbreak, giving health authorities the opportunity to assess those aboard and arrange further medical care or transport as needed. The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago located off the northwest coast of Africa and serve as a major cruise ship destination and port of call in the Atlantic.
Health officials had not yet released detailed information about the source of the outbreak or how the virus was introduced to the ship. Hantavirus infections can range from mild illness to severe respiratory disease depending on the strain involved. The investigation into the outbreak was ongoing at the time of reporting.
