One of the 14 Spanish passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, who are currently isolated at the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid, has returned a preliminary positive result in the first PCR test for hantavirus conducted upon arrival at the hospital. The remaining 13 passengers have tested negative, though all results must still be confirmed by a second sample. Health Minister Mónica García confirmed the provisional positive through a social media post, stating: “The individual remains isolated, asymptomatic, and in good general condition, under continuous clinical monitoring and in compliance with established safety and epidemiological control protocols.”
The positive result applies only to the first of two samples taken from passengers after admission. The second PCR will determine the definitive diagnosis for both the affected passenger and the other isolated individuals. For the 13 negative cases, if the result is confirmed, they must undergo another test within a week. As a preventive measure, the passenger with the provisional positive has been transferred to the High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit (UATAN), which specializes in high-risk infectious diseases. This potential case could alter the planned quarantine period for the group.
The World Health Organization (WHO) set May 6 as the date of the last possible contact with the virus, meaning the 42-day isolation period would initially have concluded by mid-June. However, the Ministry of Health emphasizes that timelines will be adjusted as circumstances evolve.
Hospital officials highlight the strict monitoring being applied to the 14 Spanish citizens. “They are being treated according to the protocols set by the WHO and the Defense Hospital,” explained José García, CSIF delegate at Gómez Ulla. The 13 passengers who tested negative remain isolated in individual rooms under permanent health surveillance, with temperature checks twice daily. Visits are prohibited. However, hospital staff have expressed concern over a lack of reinforcements: “We were told that between 60 and 90 workers of all categories would come. As of today, none have arrived.”
Separately, the two Spanish women who shared a flight with a person who died from hantavirus in Johannesburg have also tested negative in initial tests. At Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, the 45-year-old woman remains isolated in the Biosafety Unit despite a negative first PCR. Doctors confirm she is well and symptom-free, though the test will be repeated in seven days. In Alicante, the 32-year-old woman isolated at Hospital de Sant Joan also tested negative in two PCRs, but she will continue under observation and must undergo a third analysis to definitively rule out infection. Both women will remain in quarantine according to established health protocols.