Hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius is seen off the Port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife in Spain, May 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

　　Experts say the outbreak, while serious, is unlikely to spread widely due to the virus" transmission profile.

　　BRUSSELS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship scheduled to anchor off Spain"s Canary Islands on Sunday has killed three people, with passengers to be transferred directly to waiting aircraft under strict isolation. Global health officials and experts have ruled out a pandemic.

　　The Hondius cruise ship, which departed from Argentina on April 1, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew from 23 countries, has reported eight infections, including three deaths. In addition, six cases have been laboratory-confirmed as Andes virus infection, a rodent-borne hantavirus endemic in South America and the only known strain capable of limited human-to-human transmission.

　　The transmission was complicated by the ship"s itinerary. During its voyage, the polar expedition ship stopped at Saint Helena, where 30 passengers from 12 nationalities disembarked, including two individuals whose nationalities remain unknown. The operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said it has since contacted all passengers who left the vessel at Saint Helena as part of ongoing follow-up efforts.

　　Health experts say transmission requires prolonged close contact and is far less efficient than airborne respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.

　　WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing in Geneva on Thursday that the incident is "serious" but the public health risk remains low.