Three patients with suspected hantavirus infections were evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde on Wednesday, 6. May 2026. The Dutch-flagged vessel, carrying 149 people (88 passengers and 61 crew members), has been barred from docking in Praia as a precaution and remains offshore awaiting transfer to Spain’s Canary Islands.
The World Health Organization said eight cases have been recorded, including three confirmed and three deaths. The evacuees, including a British, a Dutch and a German national, were transferred to specialised hospitals, highlighting concerns over infectious disease management at sea.
The ship had departed Argentina on 1 April 2026 and travelled through Antarctica and the South Atlantic before the outbreak was reported on 2 May.
A former passenger is being treated in Zurich, while others were hospitalised in South Africa. Passengers on board are isolating in cabins as contact tracing continues across several countries, with officials maintaining that the overall public health risk remains low.
While most hantaviruses are contracted through contact with infected rodent droppings or urine and do not transmit between humans, the Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV) is a notable exception. This specific strain, identified in the current South American-linked cases, can spread via person-to-person transmission through close physical contact or respiratory droplets, making it a significantly higher public health risk in confined environments like cruise ships.