Alicante woman tests negative for hantavirus after cruise ship scare
The Costa Blanca woman was on the same flight as a Dutch passenger who later died from the virus
A 32-year-old woman from Alicante has tested negative for hantavirus for a second time after being hospitalised following possible exposure linked to a cruise ship outbreak.
The woman, who travelled on the same flight as a Dutch passenger who later died from the virus, remains in isolation at Sant Joan Hospital in Alicante as a precaution, but health officials say the latest result is reassuring.
The second PCR test, analysed by Spain’s National Microbiology Centre in Madrid, confirmed the findings of the first test carried out earlier this week, meaning there is currently no evidence that she has contracted the disease.
Despite the double negative result, protocol requires a third PCR test to be carried out within 48 hours. Until then, the patient will continue her quarantine in a negative pressure isolation room at the hospital.
Originally, plans had been made to transfer her to Madrid to complete quarantine, but the Ministry of Health later decided she would remain in Alicante instead. The Valencian Health Department is now overseeing the remainder of her monitoring and isolation period locally.
Officials say the woman’s condition has remained stable throughout. Her only reported symptoms have been a cough and mild respiratory discomfort and no further complications have developed.
The patient was admitted to Sant Joan Hospital on Friday under strict safety measures. She was transported by ambulance from her home and kept isolated inside a negative pressure capsule before being moved through a secure hospital route to her room.
The case is linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, where a hantavirus outbreak was detected after a Dutch passenger became infected and later died in Johannesburg.
The vessel arrived at the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife on Sunday May 10, prompting a large-scale health and logistics operation by Spanish authorities.
Passengers onboard were rapidly repatriated to their home countries while health officials began tracing and monitoring anyone considered a possible contact.
Hantavirus is a rare viral infection usually associated with rodents and their droppings. Depending on the strain involved, it can cause flu-like symptoms and, in more severe cases, respiratory complications. Human-to-human transmission is considered uncommon, but suspected contacts are still monitored carefully as a precaution.
Image: Hospital Universitario de San Juan
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