France Prepares Repatriation of Five Healthy Nationals From Cruise Ship With Hantavirus Cases

A boat carrying doctors headed toward the MV Hondius off the coast of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026, Le Monde reported. The vessel has a hantavirus identified onboard that has claimed three lives among the passengers. It has been almost a week since the health risks surrounding the hantavirus became the focus of intense attention.

Five French cruise passengers remain onboard the MV Hondius. Eight other French contacts traveled on a plane with an infected person. The main challenge is the care in France, isolation, testing and hospitalization of the five French nationals and eight other French contacts.

The MV Hondius is due to arrive in the Canary Islands on Sunday, May 10. Repatriation of the five French nationals still onboard the MV Hondius could take place as early as Sunday. The French Health Ministry and frontline professionals involved in crisis management are preparing for the repatriation.

At this stage the plan is for a single point of entry into the country where health authorities will take over at an airport in the Paris region currently being determined, according to the French Health Ministry. Protocols for transportation, virologic testing and clinical examinations for the repatriated French nationals are becoming more defined.

On the evening of May 7, officials specified that the five French nationals were being monitored and were in good health.

The current date of the reporting is May 2026 with events occurring in the preceding week.