A rare outbreak of hantavirus aboard a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean has killed three people and left several others seriously ill, with the vessel now stranded off the coast of Cape Verde after port authorities refused to allow disembarkation.
As of May 4, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recorded seven cases, comprising two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases, including three deaths. Illness onset occurred between April 6 and 28, with symptoms including fever, gastrointestinal distress, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock.
The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, departed Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1, 2026, on a journey through remote parts of the Atlantic Ocean, with stops including mainland Antarctica, South Georgia, and the islands of Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha. With 149 people on board, the vessel is currently anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, after being refused entry to port.
The first victim, an adult male, died aboard the ship and his body was disembarked at Saint Helena. His wife, who had been a close contact, went ashore at Saint Helena on April 24 with gastrointestinal symptoms, deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, and died upon arrival at an emergency department on April 26, with her case subsequently confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing. A third passenger, a German national, died on board on May 2, and while his cause of death has not yet been established, the case is being treated as suspected hantavirus.
A British national who fell ill on April 27 is currently in a critical condition at a private medical facility in Johannesburg and is the second confirmed hantavirus case. Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, are experiencing acute respiratory symptoms and require urgent care, though hantavirus has not yet been confirmed in either.
It remains unclear how the infections occurred. The WHO noted that hantavirus is endemic in parts of Argentina and Chile, though the Ministry of Health of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, where the ship departed, said no cases of hantavirus had ever been reported in that area.
Hantaviruses are typically spread through exposure to the urine, saliva, or faeces of infected rodents. The disease can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe condition in which the lungs fill with fluid. More than one third of patients who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the syndrome, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There is no specific treatment or cure, though early medical intervention can improve survival outcomes.
The WHO said sequencing of the virus is ongoing alongside epidemiological investigations, and that it is working with authorities to manage medical evacuations for those requiring urgent care.
If the person you’re contacting seeks information on hantavirus health risks, the WHO advises avoiding contact with wild rodents and their droppings and seeking medical attention promptly if symptoms develop following potential exposure.
