Spanish health officials announced Friday they are investigating a potential hantavirus infection in a woman from Alicante province in southeastern Spain’s Valencia region, according to Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla.
The woman in question traveled on the same aircraft as a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship, who subsequently passed away in Johannesburg after contracting the virus, Padilla explained to media representatives.
Medical staff have admitted the woman to an Alicante hospital where she is being kept in isolation, the health official reported. She is experiencing symptoms of coughing and “general malaise.”
According to Padilla, the Spanish woman’s seat was positioned two rows away from the cruise ship traveler, though their interaction “was brief” because the passenger had only been “on board for a short time” during the flight.
Valencia region health officials are currently conducting contact tracing to identify individuals who may have interacted with the woman in recent days, Padilla noted.
