Hantavirus Cases Reported on MV Hondius Cruise Ship, Three Fatalities Amid Low Transmission Risk

Three passengers have died and seven people are ill from a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which remains anchored off Cape Verde after the African nation refused docking due to public health concerns. The World Health Organization believes human-to-human transmission of the virus occurred on the ship, though such spread is extremely rare.

The risk for larger transmission remains low, according to Ann Lindstrand, the WHO's representative in Cape Verde.

The Spanish government announced on May 5, 2026, that the MV Hondius could sail to the Canary Islands for a full investigation, epidemiologic review, full disinfection, and risk assessment of passengers. WHO officially requested, in coordination with the European Union, that Spain host the ship.

The vessel is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands within three to four days from May 5, 2026, where passengers and crew will undergo medical screenings before repatriation to their home countries.

The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship with 80 cabins and a capacity of 170 passengers, departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, transiting Antarctica and the island of St. Helena during a weeks-long polar cruise. It typically travels with about 70 crew members, including a doctor.

No passengers showed hantavirus symptoms at departure, according to Argentine provincial authorities, and no cases have ever been recorded in the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, though the virus is endemic in other regions of Argentina and Chile, as noted by WHO.

The first case involved a 70-year-old Dutch man who developed fever, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms on April 6, 2026, en route from Ushuaia to St. Helena, and died on board on April 11, 2026, without microbiological testing.

His 69-year-old spouse, confirmed hantavirus-positive by PCR, got off the ship with gastrointestinal symptoms on April 24, 2026, deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg, and died in the emergency department on April 26, 2026. WHO has initiated contact tracing for passengers on that flight.

A British national developed fever, shortness of breath, and pneumonia on April 24, 2026, was evacuated to South Africa on April 27, 2026, tested positive for hantavirus, and remains in intensive care in critical condition.

An adult female, a German national, died on May 2, 2026, after rapid progression from fever and malaise that began four days earlier; her body remains on the ship. Three additional individuals with fever and gastrointestinal symptoms remain on board under evaluation. As of May 4, 2026, seven cases have been reported on the MV Hondius, including two confirmed and five suspected.

There are three fatalities, two on board and one shortly after disembarking, plus four other suspected or confirmed cases. One is the British national in South Africa; the other three, still aboard, will be evacuated to Cape Verde and then to the Netherlands for medical care on May 5, 2026, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.

The condition of the three evacuated patients is reassuring; they are recovering and stable, having been attended by Cape Verde medical teams on the vessel in recent days, Lindstrand said.

Possible quarantine for passengers could last up to two months due to the hantavirus incubation period of one to eight weeks. Passengers have been told to remain in their cabins as much as possible. 'We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts [on board],' said Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist.

Hantavirus is typically spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva, or droppings, but the Andes strain may spread between people, though rare. The virus has a mortality rate of up to 50%. WHO activated a coordinated international response under the International Health Regulations following the suspected diagnosis.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is conducting a comprehensive examination of the ship to determine urgent evacuations in Cape Verde. Cape Verde lacks the capacity for medical screenings and repatriation operations. Spanish authorities will welcome the MV Hondius for full investigation and disinfection, Van Kerkhove stated.

The Spanish Ministry of Health's epidemiologists will conduct a review of the ship on the afternoon of May 5, 2026. There is no risk of a pandemic-level threat given the low likelihood of human-to-human transmission, Lindstrand added. WHO is working with local authorities and Oceanwide Expeditions on a full public health risk assessment.

Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to the 147 passengers and crew, representing 23 nationalities. , and 13 from Spain, with 61 crew members on board.

The United States withdrew from WHO in January 2025. Argentina recorded 28 hantavirus deaths nationwide in 2025, according to its health ministry. The FIFA World Cup 2026 opens across 11 American cities in six weeks from May 5, 2026.

The 69-year-old Dutch woman's blood tested positive for hantavirus, according to South Africa's health minister. Passengers cannot disembark from the MV Hondius, which had been awaiting help off Cape Verde's coast.