Madrid, May 26 (IANS) The Spanish Ministry of Health confirmed a new positive case of hantavirus among the 14 Spaniards who were among the passengers of the cruise ship MV Hondius affected by an outbreak of the disease while crossing the Atlantic Ocean in April.

The 14 Spanish nationals from the vessel were evacuated from the island of Tenerife in a tightly controlled operation on May 10 and have since remained in preventive quarantine at Madrid’s Gomez Ulla Central Defence Hospital.

The latest positive case was detected during routine PCR testing conducted under the isolation and control system already in place, according to the ministry.

The patient, currently asymptomatic, has been transferred to the hospital’s High-Level Isolation Unit (UATAN), where he remains under specialized medical supervision and strict biosafety protocols, the ministry said.

The detection of this new case does not alter the risk level for the general population or alter the epidemiological response measures currently in place, the ministry added.

It is the second Spaniard to test positive after arriving in Madrid, with the first patient reported to be recovering favorably after showing symptoms, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the WHO, Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans. Infection in people can result in severe illness and often death, although the diseases vary by type of virus and geographical location. In the Americas, infection has been known to lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart, while in Europe and Asia hantaviruses have been known to cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels.

While there is no specific treatment that cures hantavirus diseases, early supportive medical care is key to improve survival and focuses on close clinical monitoring and management of respiratory, cardiac and kidney complications. Prevention depends largely on reducing contacts between people and infected rodents.

–IANS

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