Passengers began disembarking on Sunday from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak which was anchored near Tenerife. Three passengers from the MV Hondius have died but health officials stress that…

May 10 (UPI) -- A cruise ship stricken with a hantavirus outbreak is evacuating its nearly 150 passengers in the Spanish island Tenerife on Sunday.

Groups of passengers and crew disembarked from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak on Sunday to be evacuated to their home countries where they will isolate according to national ‌protocols to prevent further spread of the disease. Government planes carrying Spanish and French nationals landed in Madrid…

They will be taken to an HSE facility when they arrive home and quarantine “for a period of time”, the Department of Health said.

Medical experts say the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship remains contained and should not trigger fears of another Covid-style crisis. Speaking to FRANCE 24, former Institut Pasteur chief Christian Bréchot said human-to-human transmission of the virus is rare, but warned the incident highlights the need for faster testing and stronger outbreak response systems worldwide.

Two Irish people on board a virus-hit cruise ship are "safe and well", the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said.