Hantavirus outbreak Swiss crew member of the "Hondius" has no symptoms
Following the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship "Hondius", a Swiss crew member is still on board. The man is considered a contact person but, according to the FOPH, is not showing any symptoms.
09.05.2026, 12:54
SDA
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- A Swiss crew member on the "Hondius" is considered a contact person of people infected with hantavirus, but shows no symptoms. The WHO will decide how to proceed after the ship arrives in Tenerife.
- Six confirmed and two possible hantavirus cases were registered on the cruise ship. Three infected people from the Netherlands and Germany have died.
- According to the FOPH and the University Hospital, the Swiss patient treated in Zurich is stable. Other contact persons in Switzerland are in isolation as a precautionary measure and no new cases are currently expected.
A Swiss crew member is also on board the cruise ship "Hondius", which has been affected by a hantavirus outbreak. The man has no symptoms, but is a contact person, said the Director of the Federal Office of Public Health on the SRF "Samstagsrundschau".
This is because the man had contact with infected people on board. He is still on the affected ship. "Fortunately, he is doing well," said Anne Lévy, Director of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), to Swiss Radio SRF. The World Health Organization (WHO) is now responsible. As soon as the ship arrives on the island of Tenerife, the WHO will decide what to do with the patients, Lévy continued.
"Hondius" sets course for Tenerife
The operator Oceanwide Expeditions explained that no one on the "Hondius" is currently showing symptoms. According to the operator, the "Hondius" is expected to arrive in the port of Granadilla on Tenerife on Sunday morning.
After docking in the port of the Spanish island off the west coast of Africa, the medical steps and the possible journey home of the passengers would be in the hands of the authorities. The ship had left Cape Verde on Wednesday evening for the Canary Islands. The "Hondius" had originally started its journey in southern Argentina at the beginning of April.
In an update late on Friday evening, the WHO spoke of six confirmed hantavirus cases and two suspected cases. Three of these eight people have died. They are an elderly couple from the Netherlands and a woman from Germany.
Swiss patient in good condition
The Swiss patient who contracted hantavirus on the cruise ship "Hondius" is still being treated at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ). The FOPH is in contact with him and his condition is good, Lévy told the "Samstagsrundschau" program. At the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency, the USZ announced on Saturday afternoon that the man had been "stable since admission on 4 May".
According to the FOPH, his wife is still in domestic isolation as a precautionary measure. The couple had already left the cruise ship at the end of April and returned to Switzerland. The husband subsequently developed symptoms.
Another contact person lives in Geneva
A person living in Geneva is also in domestic isolation. She was on a flight from the island of St. Helena to Johannesburg in South Africa, on which a seriously ill person was also on board, the FOPH said on Friday. The contact person was not on board the cruise ship.
"It's nice for me to see that people are extremely self-responsible," said Lévy on the self-isolation of those affected. Meanwhile, the FOPH does not expect any more infections in Switzerland: "It takes a few days to find out whether someone is ill or not. Based on the fact that no one has come forward so far, we are confident", says Lévy.
