The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship currently anchored off the West African island nation of Cape Verde, with three passengers dead and the vessel refused permission to dock.
As of May 4, 2026, seven cases have been recorded, comprising two laboratory-confirmed infections and five suspected cases. Of those, three people have died, one patient remains critically ill, and three others are reporting mild symptoms, the WHO said in a statement.
The outbreak occurred aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-operated expedition vessel run by Oceanwide Expeditions, which departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina on a voyage through remote parts of the Atlantic Ocean. All cases involved passengers who became ill between April 6 and April 28, according to the WHO. Symptoms followed a severe pattern that the agency described as “fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock.”
Among the deceased were a Dutch married couple. The man, aged 70, died on board on April 11, while his wife later deteriorated during a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg, where she died upon arrival. South African health authorities are now conducting contact tracing for passengers on that April 25 flight. Two additional deaths have also been recorded among the confirmed and suspected cases.
The ship, carrying approximately 149 passengers and crew representing 23 nationalities, including 17 Americans and nationals from the United Kingdom, Spain, and elsewhere, is currently anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, after local authorities refused it permission to enter the port as a precautionary measure. Oceanwide Expeditions said the vessel may sail on to Las Palmas or Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. Remaining passengers have been placed under strict isolation and medical monitoring protocols.
Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, require urgent medical care on board. The WHO said investigations are continuing into how the infections occurred. Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents, and it remains unclear whether passengers came into contact with wildlife during the voyage or before boarding. Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego provincial health ministry, in whose territory Ushuaia is located, said no cases of Hantavirus have ever previously been recorded in the province.
Researchers are examining whether the strain involved may be the Andes virus, the only known type of Hantavirus with documented capacity for limited human-to-human transmission. Despite the severity of individual cases, the WHO assessed the overall risk to the general public as low, noting that the disease is not easily transmitted between people.
The United States State Department said it was monitoring the situation and stood ready to provide consular assistance to affected American nationals. The WHO said it would continue tracking the outbreak as investigations proceed.
