Second Hantavirus Case Confirmed in Passenger Repatriated to Spain

Spain’s Health Ministry said hantavirus infection has been confirmed in a passenger brought back from abroad, and the patient is in medical isolation in Madrid. That raises to two the number of Spaniards definitively confirmed as infected among the cases linked to the cruise ship. Officials said health monitoring continues for passengers and crew, while the overall risk level remains low. The outbreak emerged on a ship that departed Argentina in April, and three people died after the voyage. Hantavirus is generally associated with rodents, but authorities said the possibility of human-to-human transmission is also being considered in this case.