Two Cases of Hantavirus Confirmed on Cruise Ship, WHO Monitoring Five Additional Suspected Cases
Two confirmed hantavirus cases have been identified on cruise ship MV Hondius off Cape Verde, where three deaths have occurred; the WHO is monitoring five additional suspected cases aboard the vessel.
Two cases of hantavirus have been confirmed following an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius operated by Oceanwide Expeditions in the Netherlands, which has resulted in three deaths—a Dutch couple and one German national. The confirmed hantavirus cases include a deceased Dutch woman and a 69-year-old British passenger who was admitted to a critical care unit at a hospital in South Africa. The cause of death for the other two passengers remains under investigation. Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents through feces, saliva, or urine and can cause severe respiratory disease, though it rarely spreads between humans. Additionally, five suspected cases linked to the MV Hondius are being monitored, including one English crew member and one Dutch crew member, both experiencing acute respiratory symptoms—one severe and one mild—though hantavirus infection has not yet been confirmed. The MV Hondius, carrying 149 passengers from 23 countries, remains anchored off the coast of Cape Verde and is under investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has prohibited passengers and crew from disembarking.
