Rapid scientific advice on the management of contacts following sporadic imported Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV) cases in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA)

The request was made in the context of public health responses to ANDV events involving EU/EEA countries. In May 2026, a cluster of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases caused by ANDV was identified on the cruise ship MV Hondius. Person-to-person transmission was suspected, and extensive international contact tracing and follow-up activities were implemented. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued guidance on contact management, infection prevention and control, and laboratory testing [1-5]. The outbreak resulted in 12 confirmed cases, including three deaths, and one probable case. A total of 237 contacts from 15 countries were identified and monitored for up to 42 days. No secondary cases were detected among monitored contacts, and the outbreak was declared over at the end of June 2026. 

In early August 2026, France reported an imported case of ANDV infection in a traveller returning from Argentina. The case was subsequently managed in Spain, and contact tracing activities undertaken by the French and Spanish authorities identified numerous contacts, including household members, healthcare workers and fellow travellers. Public health measures differed between countries, in particular regarding the use of quarantine for asymptomatic contacts. 

During the meeting of the General Working Group of the Health Security Committee on 12 August 2026, Member States discussed the public health response to this event. Some countries raised concerns about the balance between the relatively low and uncertain risk of person-to-person transmission from sporadic imported cases and the burden associated with measures such as prolonged quarantine of asymptomatic contacts. In response, ECDC was requested to provide scientific advice to support a proportionate and evidence-informed approach to contact management in the EU/EEA.  

This rapid scientific advice reviews the available evidence on ANDV transmissibility and existing approaches to contact management, and provides recommendations for the identification, classification, monitoring and testing of contacts following sporadic imported cases of ANDV infection in the EU/EEA.