Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials are on their way to Spain to help repatriate four Australians and one permanent resident stranded on board a cruise ship after a deadly virus outbreak.

Experts are racing to contain an outbreak of the Andes strain of the rat-borne hantavirus on board the MV Hondius that has already killed three passengers — a Dutch couple and a German national — and infected a number of others.

The ship, with around 150 passengers and crew on board, is expected to arrive in Tenerife around midday Sunday, local time.

Passengers will be screened and disembarked under new guidelines still being finalised by World Health Organization and other health officials.

No passengers will be allowed to stay in the country or take commercial flights home, with each nation, including Australia, expected to take care of their own nationals.

Our priority is the safety of the community.

The luxury cruise left Argentina in March with around 150 passengers and stopped in the Antarctic and other locations before heading north to waters off Cape Verde west of Africa where it was briefly held this week after news of the cases emerged.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said consular officials were travelling to the Spanish island to provide assistance to the Australians and coordinate response efforts with local authorities and partner countries.

“We are considering options for the safe repatriation of the four Australians and permanent resident”, a DFAT spokesperson said.

“Our priority is the safety of the community.”

The spokesperson said at this stage none of the Australians or the permanent resident were displaying signs of the virus.

Symptoms of Andes hantavirus usually appear two to four weeks after exposure, beginning with flu-like symptoms before progressing four to 10 days later to severe respiratory distress, including coughing, fluid in the lungs, low blood pressure, and potential respiratory failure.

The WHO says the risk to the general public is low even though the Andean strain of the virus can, in rare cases, be transmitted among humans.

While hantavirus infection is serious, it is not as contagious as COVID-19 or influenza due to differences in how the virus spreads.

Cruise operator Oceanwide on Thursday said there were no people with symptoms of a possible infection remaining on board the ship.

It is understood the Australian Centre for Disease Control is working closely with states and territories to provide nationally coordinated advice on quarantine requirements, health monitoring and testing arrangements.

This includes ensuring the safe retrieval and transfer of passengers, as well as the safety of personnel supporting the transfer.

— with Reuters