The Ministry of Health has activated its epidemiological surveillance protocol following the admission of a 32-year-old woman to the University Hospital of Sant Joan d’Alacant with symptoms consistent with hantavirus. The patient is currently being held in isolation in a negative pressure room, a specialised system designed to prevent the airborne spread of infectious pathogens.
Health sources confirmed that the woman presented with mild respiratory symptoms after having indirect contact with a victim of an international hantavirus outbreak. The outbreak is linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has been under medical scrutiny following several infections and deaths during an expedition in the South Atlantic. The patient reportedly shared a flight with a Dutch passenger who later died in Johannesburg, South Africa, after developing severe symptoms of the virus.
The Ministry of Health has stated that the risk of contagion remains “low,” as the contact between the two passengers was limited and is not considered to have been close. Despite this, health authorities have implemented strict preventative measures, including the isolation of the patient until PCR test results are returned from the National Centre for Microbiology in Madrid. These results are expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.
The patient was transferred to the hospital in Sant Joan d’Alacant via a security circuit under specific protocols triggered by an alert from the European Epidemiological Surveillance System. Should the case be confirmed as positive, the woman will be moved to a high-isolation specialist unit, likely at La Fe Hospital in Valencia. If the initial results are negative but symptoms persist, diagnostic tests will be repeated before the infection is officially ruled out.
Hantavirus is a zoonotic disease typically transmitted by infected rodents. While human-to-human transmission is rare, certain outbreaks have required extreme health precautions. Initial symptoms include fever, cough, and general malaise, which can progress to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a potentially fatal condition.
Health authorities have confirmed that contact tracing for those who were close to the patient is active and the situation is currently under control. No further related cases have been detected in the Valencian Community at this time.
