Three people aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak were evacuated on Tuesday. Cape Verde’s health ministry said that medical personnel from the country who boarded the ship have assessed that all three are clinically stable, with authorities stating that two air ambulances helped with the evacuations, one of which is already in the country. (per CNN).
Health officials are still investigating the deadly outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius, where a small cluster of cases has raised concerns about possible person-to-person transmission. According to the World Health Organization, seven infections have been identified so far—two confirmed and five suspected—with three fatalities. Among those who died is a Dutch couple who had shared a cabin, prompting experts to examine whether close contact may have enabled limited human transmission.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the overall risk to the global population remains low. Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO said during a briefing that “we do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that’s happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who’ve shared cabins, [et cetera].” She emphasized that this remains an assumption under investigation, as hantaviruses typically spread through contact with infected rodents, not between people. One exception is the Andes strain, which scientists suspect may be involved in this outbreak. Testing is ongoing to confirm the exact variant.
Passengers and crew of the MV Hondius began falling ill between April 6 and April 28, experiencing symptoms such as fever, digestive issues, and in severe cases, pneumonia and respiratory failure. Because hantavirus can take up to eight weeks to appear after exposure, officials believe the earliest cases—particularly the Dutch couple—were likely infected before boarding in Argentina. The husband, 70, became ill shortly after embarkation and died on April 11. His wife, 69, later developed symptoms and died after being flown to South Africa. A British passenger, now hospitalized in intensive care in Johannesburg, is one of the confirmed cases. Another passenger, a German woman, also died after developing severe respiratory illness. Three additional suspected cases remain onboard, showing high fever or gastrointestinal symptoms.
The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, has been stationed off Cape Verde while authorities coordinate medical evacuations. Two critically ill individuals and another passenger are being airlifted to the Netherlands for treatment. Once evacuations are complete, the ship is expected to continue to the Canary Islands, where Spanish health officials plan a full investigation, including testing, contact tracing, and disinfection.
Strict isolation measures and protective protocols are in place for the roughly 150 people onboard. Health teams are also tracing contacts from earlier stops, which included remote regions like Antarctica and Atlantic islands.
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