OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
10:33 AM – Saturday, May 9, 2026
As Spanish authorities prepare to evacuate the hantavirus-stricken M/V Hondius cruise ship, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly sending staff to the Canary Islands to accompany American passengers on a chartered flight to be quarantined in Nebraska.
The vessel is expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, one of the Spanish Canary Islands, “in the early hours of Sunday,” where all guests and some crew members will disembark, the ship’s Dutch operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, reported on Saturday.
Trending: Islamic Cell Caught Smuggling Massive Cache of High Powered Rifles Into the US
The company also reported that there were no longer any symptomatic individuals on board the cruise ship.
“The atmosphere on board continues to remain positive,” Oceanwide Expeditions stated, despite three people having died on the ship since the outbreak.
Two Spanish passengers who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said that their time on the ship has been generally calm. Some people have been bird-watching, while others gather in common areas while social distancing and wearing masks to read or attend talks.
The CDC reported that it was sending a team of epidemiologists and medical professionals to the Canary Islands to conduct exposure risk assessments for each American passenger. They are also expected to collaborate with health officials from around the world to repatriate the 147 passengers and 60 crew members, including 17 Americans, to 24 different countries.
“The U.S. government’s top priority is the safe repatriation of American passengers,” the CDC emphasized in a statement on Friday. “These individuals are planned to be evacuated on a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, where they will be transported to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.”
Nebraska is home to both the federally supported National Quarantine Unit and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, to prevent possible spread of the virus within the U.S.
“Nebraska Medicine and UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center) remain in close coordination with national partners regarding the evolving situation with the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship,” Nebraska Medicine said in a statement to CNN. “We cannot discuss specific communications at this time, but, our specialized teams, including the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and National Quarantine Unit, are staffed and ready, if needed, to safely provide care while protecting our staff and the community.”
Hantavirus is usually spread through encounters with rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. It is a rare disease, though it can be deadly if not treated right away. Health officials have speculated that the outbreak on the Hondius ship may be the Andes variant, the only strain of hantavirus that has been known to spread between humans.
However, the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) maintain that the risk to the wider public, including the United States, from the outbreak is low.
“The risk remains absolutely low,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said. “This is not a new COVID.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!