Three Dead in Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship MV Hondius Off Cape Verde

The MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged vessel operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is anchored off Cape Verde after reporting a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people. The ship left Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 with 88 passengers and 59 crew and visited Antarctica, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island before the cases emerged.

A 70-year-old Dutch man died on board on April 11. His 69-year-old wife left the ship on April 24 with symptoms and died two days later during a flight to Johannesburg. A German passenger also died, and the body remains on the vessel. A British passenger with a laboratory-confirmed case was evacuated from Ascension Island on April 27 and is in critical but stable condition in intensive care in Johannesburg.

Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, are in stable condition but require urgent care and await evacuation.

The World Health Organization has recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases and five suspected cases, with symptoms of fever, gastrointestinal distress, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock appearing between April 6 and April 28. No rats have been found on the ship.

Investigators state that the initial infections likely occurred before boarding, possibly through wildlife contact during activities such as bird watching on the Antarctic and island stops. Tests to identify the specific variant are continuing in South Africa.

Cape Verde denied the ship permission to dock. Spain has agreed to accept the vessel in the Canary Islands, where authorities will conduct a full epidemiologic investigation and disinfect the ship. The Dutch government is arranging specialist aircraft for the medical evacuations.

Contact tracing includes passengers who traveled on the Dutch woman's flight to Johannesburg. The WHO assesses the global risk as low. Oceanwide Expeditions stated that the atmosphere on board remains calm, with passengers generally composed. A possible additional mild case is under assessment.