Spain’s health minister has said that one Spanish passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for hantavirus shortly after authorities completed the vessel’s evacuation.

The passenger remains asymptomatic, while 13 other Spanish nationals have tested negative, according to Health Minister Monica Garcia.

All remain quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid.

The ship left Spain's Canary Islands bound for the Netherlands on Monday after the last passengers disembarked.

Three people have died in the outbreak, and eight cases have now been confirmed globally.

These include a French woman in intensive care in Paris and an American national who tested positive after showing mild symptoms.

In the Netherlands, 12 hospital staff members have been placed in preventative quarantine following procedural errors while treating an infected evacuee.

Global health alert

Garcia stated the evacuation mission was "accomplished" after two days of moving 125 people from 23 countries.

The vessel is carrying 25 crew, two medical staff, and the body of a German passenger who died during the cruise.

It is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on 17 May for disinfection.

The hantavirus strain linked to the outbreak is the Andes strain, the only known variant capable of human-to-human transmission.

While the MV Hondius left Argentina on 1 April, the WHO believes the first infection occurred before the voyage, followed by transmission on board.

However, Argentine officials have questioned whether the outbreak originated in Ushuaia.

Health authorities in several countries are now tracking passengers and anyone who may have come into contact with them to prevent further spread.