MV Hondius Continues to Canary Islands Amid Suspected Hantavirus Cases and Three Deaths

The outbreak unfolded after the MV Hondius departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina on March 20, with the ship due to arrive in Cape Verde on May 4. The initial patient and his wife joined in Argentina, where WHO assumes they were infected off the ship, perhaps during bird watching or wildlife activities on the expedition boat.

With the incubation period of hantavirus ranging from one to six weeks—or up to eight weeks after exposure—symptoms emerged later, and officials in Argentina confirmed no passengers had symptoms at departure.

A Dutch man became the first death on April 11, with his body removed nearly two weeks later at St. Helena, 1,200 miles off the African coast. His wife traveled by plane from St. Helena to South Africa, collapsed at Johannesburg airport on April 26, and died at a hospital.

The ship then proceeded to Ascension Island, 800 miles north of St. Helena, where a sick British man was taken off and evacuated by plane to South Africa, where he remains in intensive care but is improving. Two patients are still on board the MV Hondius and are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands for treatment.

One patient from the MV Hondius is in intensive care in South Africa and is improving. Symptomatic individuals and those caring for patients are wearing full personal protective equipment, with medical personnel who boarded the ship bringing additional PPE.

WHO believes there may be some human-to-human transmission among close contacts on the MV Hondius, such as husband and wife or shared cabin occupants, and is investigating possible human-to-human transmission overall.

There are no rats on board the MV Hondius. Global health authorities stated the suspected outbreak may be transmitting between passengers, but with current understanding and infection control measures, further ongoing transmission will likely be limited, according to Mark Fielder, professor in medical microbiology at Kingston University London.

Isolation of infected patients, regular handwashing, monitoring of close contacts, and infection control measures are being implemented on the MV Hondius.

Once the ship docks, remaining passengers and crew will be medically assessed, quarantined, and monitored. Upon arrival in the Canary Islands, medical teams will examine and treat all passengers and crew and transfer them to their countries. American travel blogger Jake Rosmarin, with over 44,000 Instagram followers, was aboard the MV Hondius during the outbreak.

In a video shared on Instagram on Monday, Rosmarin stated he is on the MV Hondius and described the situation as real for passengers with families and lives. "There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s the hardest part," Rosmarin added. He also stated the MV Hondius is maintained to a very high standard and is clean with strong biosecurity, noting that aside from two confirmed cases, other passengers are doing well and in good spirits.

Spain agreed to receive the MV Hondius at the Canary Islands after Cape Verde turned the ship away last week. In Argentina, hantavirus led to 28 deaths nationwide last year, according to the health ministry. South African authorities have started contact tracing related to the MV Hondius cases.