A hospital in the Netherlands has placed twelve employees in quarantine for six weeks after a reported protocol breach involving a patient infected with hantavirus, officials confirmed Monday.

The incident took place at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen after the facility admitted a patient connected to a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius.

Hospital administrators explained that while the patient’s blood and urine samples were processed, they were not disposed of according to the strictest international standards required for this specific hantavirus strain.

"Because of these circumstances, 12 employees will go in preventive quarantine for six weeks as a precaution despite the fact that the chance of infection is small," the hospital said in a statement.

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When the patient was admitted on May 7, staff used standard laboratory procedures rather than the highest-level protections required for this virus, the hospital said.

By May 11, the oversight was discovered when employees realized the patient’s urine also had not been handled under the most stringent disposal protocols.

Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans told Parliament Tuesday that the Radboud facility had maintained strict measures but acknowledged the procedures used were not the “strictest” mandated for hantavirus cases.

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"At Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen, strict procedures have been followed, but not the strictest procedures applicable in the case of this hantavirus," she said.

Hospital executives said Monday that they regret the incident and remain committed to supporting affected employees while continuing care for potential new hantavirus patients.

Bertine Lahuis, chair of the hospital's executive board, announced that a review will be conducted to prevent similar errors in the future and ensure staff involved receive support during quarantine.

The hospital had originally stated during the patient’s admission that "appropriate isolation measures have been taken" consistent with international standards. The new acknowledgment marks a shift in its communication following the breach.

The World Health Organization reported that as of May 13, there were eleven hantavirus cases connected to the cruise ship outbreak, up from eight the previous week, and three deaths.

Two of the newest confirmed cases are from Spain and France, while a third patient’s results remain inconclusive. Of the total cases, eight are confirmed, two are probable, and one is inconclusive.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they sent a team to the Canary Islands, where the ship docked, to help monitor American passengers under potential exposure risk.

The U.S. agency has not disclosed how many passengers it is monitoring, but noted its teams are providing on-site healthcare assessments and check-ins.

The outbreak began after the Dutch cruise ship departed Argentina on April 1 with 147 passengers and crew, according to WHO.

Investigators believe an initial infection may have occurred when a passenger came into contact with rodents during a birdwatching excursion before the voyage.

Following multiple infection reports, the ship docked in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10, where remaining passengers and most of the crew were quarantined.

The vessel then continued to the Netherlands with a reduced crew and medical personnel, as international health agencies continued contact tracing across several countries.