Key Facts

• A French woman and an American man tested positive for hantavirus after being on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
• The total confirmed hantavirus cases linked to the ship are now 10, with two confirmed deaths and one probable death.
• The ship stayed near Tenerife in the Canary Islands after the outbreak was detected.
• French authorities have identified 22 people who were in close contact with infected passengers.
• The United States is repatriating infected passengers in biocontainment units for medical evaluation.
• Flights are planned to evacuate remaining passengers to Australia, the Netherlands, and other countries.
• Hantavirus is mainly spread by rodents but can rarely pass between people; it causes serious lung illness with symptoms appearing 1 to 8 weeks after exposure.
• The World Health Organization recommends a 42-day quarantine for those who were on the ship due to the virus’s serious effects and high fatality rate of the Andes hantavirus strain.