Three passengers aboard a cruise ship traveling through the Atlantic Ocean have died following a suspected hantavirus outbreak, the World Health Organization confirmed on Sunday. A fourth passenger, a 69-year-old British national, is receiving treatment in intensive care in South Africa.
The hantavirus outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, a polar expedition vessel operated by the Dutch tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, which had not responded to requests for comment as of Sunday evening. The ship departed from Ushuaia in Argentina and was sailing toward Cape Verde, with stops at South Georgia and the island of Saint Helena, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.
The WHO told Agence France-Presse that one case had been laboratory confirmed and five additional cases were suspected. Of the six people affected, three had died and one remained in intensive care in Johannesburg.
How the outbreak developed
The first passenger to develop symptoms was a 70-year-old man. He died aboard the ship, and his body was on the island of Saint Helena as of Sunday. His 69-year-old wife also fell ill during the voyage and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital. A source familiar with the case, speaking without authorization to be named, said a Dutch couple were among those who died. Their nationalities had not been formally confirmed by authorities.
A third passenger also died, and was still aboard the ship on Sunday evening. The British national in intensive care in Johannesburg had also been evacuated from the vessel.
South Africa’s health ministry described the situation as an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illness. A spokesperson confirmed that the patient treated in Johannesburg tested positive for hantavirus.
Two additional passengers showing symptoms were under discussion for isolation in hospital in Cape Verde, after which the MV Hondius was expected to continue to Spain’s Canary Islands. The WHO said it was working to coordinate the medical evacuation of those two passengers with national authorities and the ship’s operators.
What hantavirus is and how it spreads
Hantavirus is a family of viruses typically contracted through contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents. It can cause severe respiratory illness and, in some strains, hemorrhagic fever. In rare cases, the virus can spread between people, though rodent contact remains the primary transmission route in most documented outbreaks.
The MV Hondius can carry approximately 170 passengers and operates with a crew of 70. According to ship-tracking data, the vessel was positioned just off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
International response
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office said it was monitoring the situation and was in contact with the cruise operator and local authorities. The statement said the government was prepared to support British nationals if needed.
The WHO described its role as facilitating coordination between the national health authorities of the affected countries and the ship’s operators to manage the medical response and any further evacuations.
The route the MV Hondius was sailing, from the southern tip of South America through the South Atlantic to West Africa, passes through some of the more remote stretches of ocean in the world, adding logistical complexity to the response. Saint Helena, where the first fatality’s body remained, is approximately 1,900 kilometers from the nearest continent and accessible primarily by air or a limited sea connection.
The investigation into the source of the hantavirus outbreak and how the virus was introduced onto the vessel was ongoing as of Sunday.
