Portugal's First Suspected Hantavirus Case Tests Negative – But Patient Remains Under Watch

Portugal's first suspected case of hantavirus has tested negative, according to local authorities. Lisbon's São Francisco Xavier Hospital admitted the patient on Monday 19 May, as reported by state television channel RTP. The patient is an adult Portuguese national with flu-like symptoms who travelled by plane "as part of the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship with confirmed cases," the Directorate-General of Health (DGS) confirmed.

The DGS stated that all procedures were followed. The first step was to refer the patient to the Curry Cabral reference hospital – the same institution that served as a COVID-19 reference centre and received the first infected patient in Lisbon during the pandemic. According to the DGS protocol for handling suspected hantavirus cases, even a non-case – meaning a suspected or probable case whose test has come back negative – must be tested again within the maximum incubation period (42 days) after the last exposure to a probable or confirmed case, and reclassified accordingly.

So what defines a suspected case? The DGS guidelines define a "suspected case" as any person who has shared or used a means of transport, such as a plane or ship, where there has been a confirmed or probable case of hantavirus infection. Also deemed suspected is any person who has been in contact with a passenger or crew member of the MV Hondius since 5 April 2026 and up to the end of the 42-day incubation period, and who presents symptoms such as acute fever, muscle pain, chills, headache, or gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms.

Countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States are dealing with hantavirus cases and are responding in a very similar way, using World Health Organization guidelines. The recommendations include a six-week quarantine for high-risk contacts, PCR testing, strict monitoring, restricted movement, and a safety distance of between one and a half and two metres.

So Portugal had its first scare. The patient tested negative – for now. The 42-day clock is still ticking. The DGS protocol requires retesting within the incubation period. The patient travelled by plane, not necessarily on the ship itself, but in connection to the outbreak. The WHO guidelines are being followed. The Curry Cabral hospital, once the COVID reference centre, is now the hantavirus reference centre. History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Portugal is hoping this rhyme ends differently. For now, the test is negative. The watch continues. And the 42 days are not over yet.