Health authorities worldwide are investigating a hantavirus outbreak tied to the Dutch-flagged expedition ship M/V Hondius. To date, eight cases connected to the voyage have been confirmed or are suspected, and three people have died. Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship operator, says no one currently onboard is showing symptoms.
What the virus is
Hantaviruses are a family of rare viruses typically transmitted to people from infected rodents (through urine, droppings or saliva). Many hantaviruses cause severe respiratory illness. The strain identified in this outbreak is the Andes virus, notable because it can—unlike most hantaviruses—spread from person to person after prolonged close contact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health agencies.
Timeline and confirmed/suspected cases
– Dutch couple believed to be initial cases: A 70-year-old Dutch man developed symptoms around April 6 and died aboard the ship on April 11. Because his illness resembled other respiratory diseases, no samples were taken then; he is now thought to be the first case. His 69-year-old wife disembarked the ship at Saint Helena on April 24, flew to Johannesburg, and died two days later. Her blood later tested positive for Andes virus. Before the cruise, the couple had traveled on a bird-watching trip in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, where rodent species that carry Andes virus are present.
– British passenger hospitalized in South Africa: A U.K. adult developed respiratory symptoms while on the ship on April 24 and worsened over the following days. He was medically evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa on April 27 and treated in intensive care; tests confirmed Andes virus. Officials have said his condition has since improved.
– German passenger who died aboard: A German woman developed fever on April 28, later showed pneumonia-like symptoms, and died aboard the Hondius on May 2.
– Evacuations and other cases: Three people were flown to the Netherlands for care—two (a Dutch passenger and a British crew member) had symptoms and were described as serious but later stable; the third, a German passenger, was asymptomatic but had been closely associated with the deceased German woman and has since returned to Germany. A Swiss man who disembarked in Saint Helena later tested positive for Andes virus in Zurich and is receiving care; his wife was asymptomatic and self-isolating.
Public health response and monitoring
The WHO and national health agencies have been conducting contact tracing, isolation and monitoring of people who disembarked in Saint Helena and those who shared flights with confirmed cases. The WHO has alerted officials in at least a dozen countries with passengers from the ship, including Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.
In the United States, five state health departments reported monitoring returned passengers (Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Virginia and California). A KLM flight attendant who had contact with cruise passengers and was hospitalized for monitoring in the Netherlands tested negative for hantavirus.
Why more cases are possible
Health officials stress the investigation is ongoing. Because hantaviruses can have a prolonged incubation period and the response includes active contact tracing and testing, additional cases could still be identified. Public health teams continue to monitor close contacts, flights and international movements of passengers to limit further spread.