An outbreak of Andes hantavirus on the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius resulted in three deaths and multiple infections among passengers and crew, prompting a multi-national public health response involving evacuations, quarantines, and contact tracing. The World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the public health risk as low.
Outbreak Details and Timeline
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, with approximately 88 passengers and 59 crew from 23 nationalities. The vessel traveled to various remote locations, including Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, and Ascension Island, before heading toward Cape Verde.
The first reported illness occurred on April 6, 2026, in a 70-year-old Dutch male passenger. He died on April 11. His body was removed from the ship on St. Helena on April 24, and his wife accompanied the body. She developed symptoms, was transported to South Africa, and died at a Johannesburg hospital on April 26. A posthumous test confirmed the Andes strain of hantavirus.
A British passenger who fell ill near Ascension Island was medically evacuated to South Africa on April 27, where he was hospitalized in intensive care and tested positive for hantavirus. A German passenger died on the ship on May 2. Two crew members (a British and a Dutch national) developed acute respiratory symptoms and remained on board awaiting medical evacuation.
As of May 11, 2026, a total of 10 cases had been identified, with five confirmed via laboratory testing. The cases were linked to the Andes virus, a hantavirus strain endemic to South America. The WHO suspects human-to-human transmission occurred among close contacts, as the Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain known to transmit this way.
Virus and Transmission Background
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses primarily spread to humans through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, and saliva. Human-to-human transmission is rare, but the Andes virus can spread through close and prolonged contact.
Disease can manifest as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) or Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS). HPS has a case fatality rate of 35-50%, while HFRS fatality rates range from less than 1% to 15%. There is no specific antiviral treatment or licensed vaccine for the Andes virus; supportive care, including respiratory support in intensive care, is the standard treatment.
"The Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain known to transmit via human-to-human contact."
International Public Health Response
The WHO was notified of the cluster of severe respiratory illness on May 2, 2026. The organization coordinated with authorities in Cape Verde, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Cape Verde: Authorities denied the request to dock the ship at Praia due to public health concerns. Medical teams in protective gear boarded the vessel to assess patients.
- South Africa: The National Institute for Communicable Diseases conducted contact tracing for passengers who were on a flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg with the deceased Dutch woman.
- Netherlands: Authorities coordinated the medical evacuation of two ill crew members and a companion to the Netherlands. The Dutch foreign ministry also coordinated the repatriation of the deceased passenger's remains.
- Spain: The ship was allowed to anchor at the industrial port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands. The Spanish government overruled a decision by local Canary Islands authorities who opposed docking. Spanish health authorities prepared a cordoned-off area for disembarkation and repatriation.
- United States: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated a level three emergency response and worked with the State Department to evacuate 17 American passengers. They were transported to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for assessment and monitoring.
- United Kingdom: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) coordinated the repatriation of British nationals. British Army medics parachuted onto the remote island of Tristan da Cunha to treat a person with a suspected infection.
Evacuation and Repatriation
On May 10, 2026, the MV Hondius anchored off Tenerife. Passengers were evacuated using small boats to the port. They were dressed in protective suits, transported in sealed buses to the airport, and boarded charter flights arranged by their respective countries.
- Passengers from over 20 countries, including Spain, the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, were repatriated.
- Spanish passengers were the first to disembark and were quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid.
- Groups of passengers flew to Australia, where they were placed in quarantine for a minimum of three weeks at the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience in Western Australia, with monitoring extending up to 42 days due to the incubation period.
- A French passenger who had been on the ship tested positive for hantavirus after arriving in Paris. An American passenger who was evacuated to the United States also tested positive but was asymptomatic.
"British Army medics parachuted onto the remote island of Tristan da Cunha to treat a person with a suspected infection."
Investigation into Origin
The investigation focused on determining the source of the infection. The leading hypothesis, supported by Argentine authorities, is that the first two patients (the Dutch couple) contracted the virus before boarding the ship during a bird-watching excursion in Ushuaia, Argentina. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the couple's trip included visits to sites where the rat species known to carry the Andes virus was present. Argentine health officials planned to conduct rodent trapping and testing in Ushuaia.
Ship Status and Disinfection
Following the evacuation of all passengers and a portion of the crew, the MV Hondius sailed to Rotterdam, Netherlands, for a full disinfection and rodent control measures. The remaining 25 to 30 crew members and the body of the deceased German passenger remained on board for the voyage.