Three passengers dead after suspected hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship
Three passengers have died in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship traveling from Argentina to Cape Verde. One additional passenger, a 69-year-old British national, is in intensive care in South Africa, and five cases are under investigation. The World Health Organization is coordinating with national authorities and the Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions to manage the situation.
- ▪A confirmed case of hantavirus was identified in a patient treated in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- ▪The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, a polar cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions.
- ▪Two of the deceased were a Dutch couple, aged 70 and 69, with the third fatality still onboard the vessel.
- ▪Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodent urine or feces, though rare human-to-human transmission has occurred.
- ▪The UK Foreign Office is monitoring the situation and in contact with local authorities and the cruise company.
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The MV Hondius seen off the port of Praia in Cape Verde in 2025. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe MV Hondius seen off the port of Praia in Cape Verde in 2025. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesCape VerdeThree passengers dead after suspected hantavirus outbreak on cruise shipFurther three people taken ill, including 69-year-old Briton reported to be in intensive care in South AfricaGuardian staff and agenciesSun 3 May 2026 15.52 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThree people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic.One case of hantavirus infection had been confirmed and there were five additional suspected cases, the World Health Organization told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.Of the six people affected, three had died…
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