Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak Plagues Cruise Ship; Three Fatalities Reported

Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak Plagues Cruise Ship; Three Fatalities Reported

By Paul V. Young – TheNATIONWEEK.com | May 5, 2026

CAPE VERDE, Atlantic Ocean – A polar expedition cruise ship, the MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 individuals, has been denied docking permission off the coast of Cape Verde after three passengers died and three others fell critically ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the ship’s operator have confirmed the alarming situation, with local authorities maintaining a strict cordon due to public health concerns.

The Dutch-operated MV Hondius, on a multi-week polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and various isolated South Atlantic islands, made an urgent request for assistance from local health officials on Sunday upon reaching Cape Verde, off West Africa. However, the Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions stated that no one has been permitted to disembark.

Cape Verde’s Health Ministry issued a statement on Monday affirming its decision to prohibit the ship from docking, citing public health risks. The vessel is currently anchored in open waters near the shore.

Hantavirus, a rare but potentially severe illness, is primarily transmitted through contact with rodents or their excreta, saliva, or urine. While uncommon, the WHO notes that human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is possible.

The precise origin of this suspected outbreak remains under investigation by the WHO, which is also coordinating the medical evacuation of two critically ill crew members.

Authorities have confirmed one positive hantavirus case: a British man who was medically evacuated to South Africa on April 27. He is reportedly in critical condition and isolated in intensive care.

Among the deceased, the body of a German passenger remains on board. A 70-year-old Dutch man died on the ship on April 11, with his 69-year-old wife succumbing to the illness after disembarking.

The ship’s manifest includes 87 remaining passengers, with 17 Americans, 19 from the UK, and 13 from Spain. Sixty-one crew members, including the two currently ill, are also on board.

Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that two crew members, one British and one Dutch, are exhibiting respiratory symptoms and require immediate medical attention.

A medical team from Cape Verde, comprising two doctors, a nurse, and a laboratory specialist, has conducted three trips to the ship. Dr. Ann Lindstrand, a WHO official in Cape Verde, indicated plans for medical evacuations, which would involve transporting affected individuals by ambulance to an airport for onward flights.

“It’s been very tricky for Cape Verdean authorities,” Lindstrand stated. “They have to deal with a public health event, and of course, they have been thinking about the protection of the population here.”

Oceanwide, however, is still awaiting permission from Cape Verdean authorities for the evacuations and is considering rerouting to the Spanish islands of Las Palmas or Tenerife. The Dutch Foreign Ministry is also exploring options for evacuating some individuals.

The WHO is actively collaborating with local authorities and Oceanwide to conduct a “full public health risk assessment.” “Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations,” the WHO confirmed, adding that “medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew.”

While only one case has been laboratory-confirmed, the WHO suspects hantavirus in the other five cases – the three fatalities and the two ill crew members. Lindstrand also reported a possible new case on board, an individual with mild fever symptoms, currently under assessment.

The cruise commenced on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina, with an itinerary including Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and other remote South Atlantic islands. The MV Hondius, equipped with 80 cabins and a capacity for 170 passengers, typically sails with approximately 70 crew members, including a doctor.

The Dutch man, the first victim, presented with symptoms including fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. His body was disembarked nearly two weeks later on the British territory of Saint Helena, approximately 1,900 kilometers off the African coast, awaiting repatriation. His wife was transferred to South Africa concurrently but collapsed at Johannesburg airport and later died in a hospital.

The ship then proceeded to Ascension Island, an isolated Atlantic outpost about 1,300 kilometers north, where the sick British man was disembarked and evacuated to South Africa on April 27, subsequently testing positive for hantavirus.

South African officials have initiated contact tracing, but health authorities emphasize that there is no cause for widespread alarm. The 69-year-old woman who died was attempting to board a flight home to the Netherlands at Johannesburg’s main international airport, one of Africa’s busiest, when she collapsed.

The South African Department of Health reiterated that the WHO is “coordinating a multi-country response with all affected islands and countries to contain further spread of the disease.”

Hantavirus currently lacks a specific treatment or cure, though early medical intervention can significantly improve survival rates. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies two serious syndromes caused by hantaviruses: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which affects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which impacts the kidneys.

“While severe in some cases, it is not easily transmitted between people,” stated Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe. “The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”

The incident brings renewed attention to hantavirus, which gained prominence last year after it was confirmed as the cause of death for Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman.