A suspected hantavirus outbreak on an Atlantic Ocean cruise vessel has left three people dead, with multiple additional cases under active investigation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed to the BBC. The outbreak is centered on the MV Hondius, a polar expedition cruise ship operated by Dutch tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions, which was en route from Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Verde when illnesses began to spread.
According to official briefings, WHO has verified one case of hantavirus, with five other symptomatic passengers awaiting final testing to confirm infection. One British national remains in intensive care in South Africa following emergency medical evacuation. Tracking of the outbreak shows the first fatality was a 70-year-old passenger who developed symptoms and died on board the vessel. His remains have been taken to Saint Helena, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic, pending next steps. The man’s 69-year-old wife also contracted the illness, was evacuated to a medical facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, and later died in hospital care. A third fatality, a 69-year-old British citizen, was also confirmed, while another British passenger remains in intensive care at the same Johannesburg hospital.
Hantavirus infections are most commonly transmitted through environmental exposure, typically contact with rodent urine, feces or saliva from infected animals. While person-to-person transmission is rare, the virus can cause life-threatening respiratory illness in severe cases, making the on-board outbreak a significant public health concern.
Initial reports from South Africa’s Ministry of Health had pegged the death toll at two, which was later updated to three by WHO. The ship departed on its scheduled voyage on March 20, with a planned arrival in Cape Verde on May 4. The MV Hondius is a 107.6-meter polar-class cruise ship that can accommodate up to 170 passengers across 80 cabins.
WHO has activated its cross-border public health response framework to manage the event, which it has classified as a formal public health event. The global health body is coordinating between affected countries, South African public health authorities and the ship’s operator to organize medical evacuations for remaining symptomatic passengers, conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the outbreak, and deliver medical and public health support to all people still on board the vessel.