The Public Health Commission approved this afternoon the updated protocol for handling people in relation to the hantavirus outbreak.
Only those evacuated from the cruise ship will be quarantined at the Gómez Ulla Hospital.
For any other contacts, health authorities will conduct an individual assessment.
The protocol will be re-evaluated, at the latest, after 28 days, to adapt the measures to the epidemiological evolution and the available scientific knowledge.
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Madrid, May 12, 2026 – The Public Health Commission approved this afternoon the updated protocol for managing individuals under observation in Spain in relation to the Andes hantavirus outbreak associated with the MV-HONDIUS cruise ship.
The document, previously agreed upon by the Technical Committee of the Early Warning and Rapid Response System (SIAPR), establishes May 10, 2026, as “day zero” for the official start of quarantine, coinciding with the date on which the isolation of those evacuated from the ship in individual rooms began.
The protocol updates the definition of contact to enhance surveillance.
A contact is defined as any person who was on the ship between April 1 and May 10, or who had contact with a confirmed case during their infectious period, which officially begins two days before the onset of the first symptoms or a positive PCR test in asymptomatic cases.
Under this criterion, this includes those who share a room or bathroom, sexual partners, direct physical contacts, and airline passengers seated in the same row or two adjacent rows on long-haul flights as a laboratory-confirmed case.
The protocol introduces a differentiated approach to contact tracing, stipulating that only those evacuated from the cruise ship must undergo mandatory quarantine in individual rooms at the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid.
For any other contacts identified outside this group, health authorities will conduct an individualized assessment of their situation, allowing quarantine to take place in other facilities designated for isolation and health monitoring.
All identified contacts, regardless of where they quarantine, will be subject to enhanced health surveillance for the first 28 days, the period considered most likely for the appearance of symptoms consistent with the disease.
During this time, a PCR test will be performed every seven days, and the results will only be considered conclusive after official confirmation from the National Microbiology Center.
This measure will be complemented by supervised active surveillance, including twice-daily temperature checks and monitoring for possible symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, or muscle aches.
To promote the well-being of those in quarantine, the protocol allows for more flexible isolation conditions after the first week.
If the PCR test performed on day 7 is negative, those isolated in the hospital setting may receive visitors using appropriate personal protective equipment and may take supervised walks out of their rooms into the common areas of the ward, while maintaining the mandatory use of FFP2 masks at all times.
Should any of the individuals being monitored develop symptoms consistent with the disease—such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhea—they will be considered a probable case and transferred to a negative-pressure isolation room for specific diagnostic testing.
In such cases, the network of High-Level Isolation and Treatment Units (UATAN) will also be notified to ensure an immediate response in the event of a confirmed diagnosis.
Regarding the management of confirmed cases following a positive laboratory test, the protocol stipulates their admission to a High-Level Isolation and Treatment Unit (UATAN).
The length of stay in this specialized unit will depend on the patient's condition: those with symptoms will remain hospitalized until their full clinical recovery, while asymptomatic cases must remain in isolation until they obtain a negative test result.
The protocol will be re-evaluated, at the latest, after 28 days, to adapt the measures to the epidemiological evolution and the available scientific knowledge.
Source:
Link: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa.do?id=6907
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