12 Dutch hospital workers quarantined after hantavirus protocol breach

• Twelve staff at Radboud University Medical Center placed under six-week quarantine
• Incident linked to protocol breach while treating hantavirus patient from cruise ship MV Hondius
• Cases and monitoring efforts continue across multiple countries

Twelve healthcare workers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands have been placed under a six-week quarantine after a breach in infection-control procedures while treating a hantavirus patient evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius.

The hospital said the patient arrived on May 7. Staff reportedly used a standard blood-draw method instead of enhanced protective procedures required for hantavirus cases. Officials also said international guidelines were not followed in the handling of the patient’s urine.

Despite the breach, the hospital said the overall risk of infection remains low. An internal investigation has been launched.

“We regret that this has happened at our university medical center,” said Bertine Lahuis, chair of the hospital’s Executive Board. “We will carefully investigate the course of events to learn from this and to prevent it from happening again.”

Cruise ship outbreak spreads across several countries

The outbreak was first identified in April 2026 aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.

The first known fatality was a 70-year-old Dutch passenger who died on April 11. His wife later died from the virus in South Africa. Health authorities believe the couple were exposed during travel in South America before boarding the ship.

Since then, contact tracing has expanded across multiple countries as passengers were transferred for monitoring and treatment. Officials said dozens of close contacts have tested negative so far, while others remain under observation.

Several passengers have been relocated internationally, including groups sent to the United States, Spain, Australia, and the Netherlands for quarantine and follow-up care.

Spain reports new case amid global monitoring

Spain’s health ministry confirmed a new hantavirus case on Tuesday involving a passenger evacuated from the same cruise ship. The patient is being treated in isolation at a military hospital in Madrid.

Authorities said additional tests on other evacuees have returned negative results so far.

The World Health Organization has described the risk of wider international spread as “low,” while warning that more cases may still emerge due to the virus’s incubation period.

Health officials across affected countries continue to monitor passengers and crew, with quarantine and testing protocols in place.

Ship to undergo deep disinfection

The MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on Sunday, where it will undergo full decontamination procedures as investigations continue into the outbreak and response measures onboard.