Eight confirmed and two probable cases of hantavirus have been linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, according to the World Health Organization. Three deaths have been reported, two confirmed and one probable. The affected nationalities include citizens from the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the United States. The outbreak emerged during a voyage that began in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1.
Two Dutch nationals died: a 70-year-old man who developed symptoms on April 6 and died on April 11, and his 69-year-old wife who died on April 26 in a Johannesburg hospital. Hantavirus was confirmed in her case on May 4. A third Dutch case involved the ship's doctor, who tested positive for the Andes strain on May 6 and was evacuated to the Netherlands via Cape Verde.
Two British nationals tested positive: one evacuated to South Africa on April 27 and confirmed on May 2, the other a guide who reported symptoms on April 27 and tested positive on May 6. He was evacuated to the Netherlands on May 7. A third British man on Tristan da Cunha is a probable case. British paratroopers delivered medical supplies to the island by parachute.
A German woman developed fever on April 28, later died of pneumonia on May 2 aboard the ship. Post-mortem tests confirmed the Andes virus. Her body remained on the Hondius as it prepared to sail from Tenerife. A Swiss man who left the ship in Saint Helena on April 22 began showing symptoms on May 1 in Switzerland and tested positive on May 5.
A French woman repatriated from the ship felt unwell on May 10 and tested positive, according to Health Minister Stephanie Rist. The US Department of Health and Human Services reported on May 10 that one of 17 American evacuees tested mildly PCR positive, while another had mild symptoms.
The MV Hondius carried infected passengers across multiple continents before cases were confirmed, raising questions about onboard containment. The Dutch doctor and British guide continued working after symptom onset, potentially exposing others. If isolation protocols were delayed, close contacts among the crew and passengers may have been missed. The movement of symptomatic individuals through international transit hubs increases cross-border risk.
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