Hantavirus Outbreak on Polar Cruise Ship Kills Three, Strands 148 Off West Africa

Key facts

• Three passengers died: a 70-year-old Dutch man, his 69-year-old wife, and a German national.
• A 69-year-old British man is in intensive care in Johannesburg after testing positive for hantavirus.
• Two sick crew members (one British, one Dutch) remain on board needing urgent medical care.
• The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina on March 20 and was due in Cape Verde on May 4.
• Cape Verde authorities have not allowed the ship to dock at Praia as a precaution.
• Among 87 passengers: 19 from the UK, 17 Americans, 13 from Spain, plus 61 crew.
• WHO says risk to wider public is low; no travel restrictions are recommended.

A Deadly Virus at Sea

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the polar cruise ship MV Hondius has killed three people and left at least three others seriously ill, stranding nearly 150 passengers and crew off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean. The Dutch-flagged vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, has been waiting for help since Sunday after requesting assistance from local health authorities. Cape Verde’s Health Ministry said Monday it will not allow the ship to dock over public health concerns, leaving the vessel anchored near the capital, Praia. The first victim, a 70-year-old Dutch man, died on board after suddenly developing fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. His body was removed in the British territory of Saint Helena. His 69-year-old wife was evacuated to South Africa, where she collapsed at an airport while trying to fly home to the Netherlands and died in a Johannesburg hospital. A German passenger also died and remains on the ship.

Confirmed Case and Intensive Care

The only laboratory-confirmed case of hantavirus so far is a 69-year-old British man who fell ill near Ascension Island, another remote Atlantic outpost, after the ship left Saint Helena. He was transferred to South Africa and is in critical condition in intensive care in Johannesburg, isolated and under close monitoring. The World Health Organization said it is working with authorities to evacuate two other symptomatic individuals from the ship — both crew members, one British and one Dutch — who have respiratory symptoms and require urgent medical attention. Oceanwide Expeditions stated that local health authorities in Cape Verde have visited the vessel to assess the condition of the two sick crew members but have yet to decide on transferring them to medical care on land. The Dutch foreign ministry said it is exploring possibilities for a medical evacuation and would coordinate any such operation.

Passengers and Crew Trapped at Sea

The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina on March 20 on a weekslong polar cruise that included visits to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other isolated South Atlantic islands, with a final destination of Spain’s Canary Islands. At the time of the outbreak, about 150 tourists were on board, along with around 70 crew members. the remaining 87 passengers include 19 from the United Kingdom, 17 Americans, and 13 from Spain. Sixty-one crew members, including the two who are ill, remain on the ship. The company said it is looking into whether passengers could be screened and disembarked on the islands of Las Palmas and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is also trying to arrange repatriation of the two sick crew members, the body of the German national, and a guest closely associated with the deceased who does not have symptoms. “Strict precautionary measures are in process on board,” the company said.

A Rare but Dangerous Pathogen

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses found worldwide, spread mainly through contact with the urine, saliva or droppings of infected rodents such as rats and mice. The virus gained widespread attention after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year. Hackman himself died about a week later at their home from heart disease. Hantavirus can cause two serious syndromes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe lung infection, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which affects the kidneys. While rare, the WHO said hantavirus infections can spread between people. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival. The WHO noted that detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, epidemiological investigations, and sequencing of the virus.

Low Public Risk but Strict Precautions

The WHO’s regional director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, said in a statement Monday that “the risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.” Cape Verde health officials have described the situation as under control and said there is no risk to people on land, but they have still refused to let the vessel dock at the port of Praia as a precaution. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said it is cooperating with authorities and implementing strict measures on board. The WHO is supporting the public health event and providing medical care to passengers and crew. South Africa’s Department of Health confirmed that the ship left Argentina about three weeks ago and was due to head to the Canary Islands.

Unanswered Questions and Next Steps

It remains unclear how the outbreak began. Hantavirus is typically associated with rodent exposure, and the source of infection on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic is puzzling. The WHO said it is investigating the origin while coordinating evacuations. The two sick crew members on board urgently need medical care, but Cape Verde has not yet authorized their transfer. Oceanwide Expeditions is exploring options for screening and disembarking passengers at Las Palmas and Tenerife, but no timeline has been set. The Dutch foreign ministry is involved in coordinating potential medical evacuations. As the ship remains anchored off Praia, the passengers and crew face an anxious wait, while health authorities work to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread.

The bottom line

• Three people have died and at least three others are ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius off Cape Verde.
• Only one case has been confirmed; the patient is a British man in intensive care in Johannesburg.
• Cape Verde has refused to let the ship dock, citing public health concerns, leaving 148 people stranded.
• The virus is rare and spread by rodents, but human-to-human transmission is possible.
• WHO says the overall public risk is low, and no travel restrictions are needed.
• Investigations are ongoing, including virus sequencing, to determine the outbreak's origin.