The situation drew international attention after three people aboard the Dutch-operated MV Hondius lost their lives, prompting an emergency evacuation operation in the Canary Islands.
On Sunday, Spain coordinated the evacuation of 94 passengers and crew members from 19 different countries from the vessel.
Medical officials closely monitored the travellers as they were transported from Tenerife to the airport under heavy health supervision and after undergoing detailed medical screening.
However, authorities in France and the United States later confirmed that one evacuee from each country tested positive for hantavirus.
In a statement, Spain’s health ministry insisted that all necessary precautions were implemented from the beginning to break any possible chain of transmission and reduce the risk of further infections.
The ministry explained that the French passenger only began experiencing symptoms during the flight and not while onboard the ship.
Spanish officials also disclosed that the American passenger showed no signs of illness while the ship was in Cape Verde before arriving in the Canary Islands.
Despite this, US authorities reportedly classified the case as positive and requested that the citizen be evacuated separately from the others. The request was granted, and the individual was transported on a different boat.
Spanish officials confirmed that additional evacuation flights heading to Australia and the Netherlands were expected on Monday to complete the repatriation of most passengers and crew members remaining onboard.
After taking on fuel supplies, the ship is expected to continue its journey to the Netherlands with only a limited crew onboard.
Spain’s minister, Angel Victor Torres, stated during an interview with public radio RNE that only a few Dutch and Australian nationals were left to be evacuated and authorities hoped to finish the process ahead of schedule.
Health experts have noted that hantavirus is a rare disease commonly associated with rodents, and there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the illness.
Despite concerns surrounding the outbreak, health officials maintained that the overall threat to global public health remains low and rejected comparisons with the COVID-19 pandemic.
