The World Health Organisation confirmed eight hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, including three deaths, as of May 8, 2026. Six of the cases were confirmed as Andes virus, the only strain known to spread from person to person. One previously suspected case tested negative and was reclassified. Four patients remain hospitalised. The illness onset among passengers occurred between April 6 and April 28, 2026, during a voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde. Symptoms included fever, gastrointestinal issues, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock.
WHO is investigating the source of exposure, including travel history and possible contact points. An expert from WHO and another from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are on board the ship to assist. The MV Hondius carried 147 people from 23 nationalities, including passengers from Britain, Spain, and the United States, and crew from the Philippines. The United States is arranging a repatriation flight for American passengers after the ship docked in Tenerife, Spain. Seventeen Americans were on board.
Twelve countries, including the US, have nationals who disembarked on April 24 on Saint Helena, a remote British island. A probable case involving an adult male who disembarked in Tristan da Cunha on April 14 is under isolation and monitoring. Seventy-five contacts have been identified in South Africa, with 42 traced and under surveillance. Passengers who shared a flight from Saint Helena to South Africa with a confirmed case have been contacted. WHO has issued technical guidance on case management, disembarkation, and monitoring of returning passengers.
UK health authorities will isolate about 24 returning passengers at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, a facility previously used for Covid-19 cases. An internal email confirmed the location. WHO assesses the global risk as low but continues to monitor the situation.
WHO reports the Andes virus, capable of human-to-human transmission, among confirmed cases, yet labels the global risk as low despite international spread. The virus reached multiple continents via a single cruise ship carrying 147 people from 23 countries. If transmission occurred during the April voyage, the 75 contacts identified in South Africa may already be beyond containment. The reclassification of one suspected case as negative suggests testing challenges, raising questions about the accuracy of the current case count.
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