Cruise Ship Passengers Evacuated Amid Hantavirus Outbreak

Passengers on a cruise ship were evacuated after a hantavirus outbreak was detected. The Spanish health minister, Monica Garcia, announced that military buses transported passengers from Tenerife airport to a government plane for evacuation.

The World Health Organization recommended a 42-day quarantine for the passengers. The outbreak was first detected on May 2, with the first passenger testing positive being a British man in intensive care.

Eight people fell ill, including three Dutch nationals and a German citizen, with six confirmed cases of the virus. The European Union requested that countries manage the evacuation of their citizens, with flights arranged for Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, Turkey, Ireland, and the United States.

Additional evacuations were planned for citizens from Australia, New Zealand, and unspecified Asian countries. Hantavirus is typically spread by rodents and is rarely transmitted from person to person.