Possible hantavirus case reported in Spain, linked to KLM flight

Another possible hantavirus infection has been reported in Spain. A passenger on the KLM flight that was briefly boarded by a Dutch woman who later died after contracting the virus has also developed symptoms, Spain’s health ministry said on Friday.

The woman, from Alicante, was on the flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam on April 25. She is coughing and reports “general malaise,” and was seated two rows behind the Dutch passenger, junior health minister Javier Padilla told reporters.

The Spanish woman is now being tested for the virus. The World Health Organization confirmed on Friday that a KLM cabin crew member on the same flight, who had been admitted to Amsterdam UMC on Thursday, tested negative.

Hondius heads for Netherlands The Hondius is due to arrive off Tenerife on Sunday around midday, when the 144 remaining passengers will be evacuated by boat in protective gear and repatriated by nationality. The 14 Spanish nationals on board will be quarantined for up to 45 days at a military hospital in Madrid.

Once all passengers have disembarked there, the ship can sail on to the Netherlands.

There are now six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to the ship, including a Dutch patient at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen and a British crew member at Leiden University Medical Center. Three people have died, one confirmed as a hantavirus death.