Three passengers have died Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship: what we know and what we don't know
Investigations are underway following a virus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic. Three people have died. Nevertheless, the WHO classifies the risk to the general public as low.
05.05.2026, 05:30
05.05.2026, 06:49
dpa
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- Three people have died on the cruise ship "MV Hondius" after a suspected hantavirus infection, including a German passenger.
- Another passenger is laboratory-confirmed to have hantavirus; he is being treated in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg.
- Two crew members (one British and one Dutch) show respiratory symptoms. The hantavirus has not been confirmed in them.
- It is unclear whether all three deaths were actually caused by the hantavirus.
- According to the shipping company, the almost 150 guests on board the ship will not be able to go ashore at the originally planned destination of Cape Verde.
Three people have died following a possible outbreak of hantavirus on a small cruise ship in the Atlantic, including a German passenger, according to Germany's Foreign Office. Many questions remain unanswered. What we know - and what we don't:
What we know
- There are several suspected cases of hantavirus, all of whom were on board the cruise ship "Hondius". The ship was en route from Argentina to Cape Verde.
- Three passengers have died: according to the ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions, a German national died on Sunday, and a Dutch couple died earlier in April - the man on board and the woman on her journey home.
- According to the shipping company, a variant of the hantavirus was detected in the woman, while the other deaths have not yet been confirmed to be linked to the hantavirus.
- Another passenger is laboratory-confirmed to have hantavirus; he is being treated in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg.
- Two crew members (one British and one Dutch) are showing respiratory symptoms. Hantavirus is not confirmed in them.
- The WHO classifies the deaths and other illnesses (apart from the confirmed case) as suspected cases. An epidemiological investigation is underway.
- The WHO considers the risk to the general public to be low and travel restrictions are not recommended.
- An outbreak on a ship is considered unusual, as infections typically occur through contact with rodents. These excrete the viruses in their feces, urine or saliva.
- Transmission from person to person is rare.
- According to the WHO, illnesses can be severe, but are rare in Switzerland and Germany.
- According to the shipping company, the almost 150 guests on board the ship will not be able to go ashore at the originally planned destination of Cape Verde. A medical evacuation is planned for three people. The ship could then set course for the Canary Islands with the passengers on board. However, this is not yet certain, explained ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
- Further medical examinations could take place on the Canary Islands, for example in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria or on Tenerife, the shipping company explained.
What we don't know
- It is unclear whether all three deaths were actually caused by the hantavirus.
- It is unclear how the laboratory-confirmed cases of hantavirus were contracted. It is also unclear how this could have happened in the other possible cases.
- It is also unclear whether there are other infections among passengers or crew. So far, no other people have shown symptoms, the shipping company explained.
- There is hardly any reliable information about the mood among the people on board. The ship operator stated that the mood was "calm" and that the passengers were "generally calm".
- It was also unclear exactly when and how things would continue for the remaining passengers and crew on board. The ship was last seen off its port of destination in Cape Verde. According to the operator, an onward journey to the Canary Islands was initially not assured.
