The Andean strain of hantavirus is a serious pathogen, with high lethality and long incubation period. And, at the same time, it is a pathogen of limited transmission that, if we act accordingly, will not generate a source of infection for the Canary Islands or much less for the country as a whole. The arrival this Sunday of the MV Hondius cruise ship to the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife, has placed at the center of the public debate the first outbreak of Andean strain hantavirus identified on board of an international vessel bound for Europe.