A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus on a cruise ship in the
Atlantic kills 3 people
[May 04, 2026]
By GERALD IMRAY
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A suspected outbreak of the rare
hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean killed three
people, including an elderly married couple, and sickened at least three
others, the World Health Organization and South Africa's Department of
Health said Sunday.
In a statement to The Associated Press, WHO said an investigation was
underway but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed.
One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital,
the U.N. health agency said, and it was working with authorities to
evacuate two others with symptoms from the ship.
The Dutch company that operates the cruise said the ship was now sitting
off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa's west coast,
and local authorities were assisting but had not allowed anyone to
disembark. It said the two sick people onboard requiring urgent medical
care were crew members.
Hantavirus infections are spread mainly by rodents
Hantaviruses, which are found throughout the world, are a family of
viruses spread mainly by contact with the urine or feces of infected
rodents like rats and mice. They gained attention after the late actor
Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in
New Mexico last year.
Hackman died around a week later at their home from heart disease.
Hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes, according to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a
severe disease that effects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal
syndrome, a severe disease that affects the kidneys.
While rare, WHO said hantavirus infections can be spread between people.
There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can
increase the chance of survival.
“WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise
vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean," the organization said. "Detailed
investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and
epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being
provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also
ongoing.”
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The weekslong cruise started in Argentina
South Africa's Department of Health said the ship, the Dutch-flagged
MV Hondius, had left Argentina around three weeks ago for a cruise
that included visits to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other
stops. It was due to ultimately head to Spain's Canary Islands on
the other side of the Atlantic.
The first victim was a 70-year-old man who died on the ship and
whose body was removed in the British territory of Saint Helena in
the South Atlantic, the South African health department said in a
statement. The man's wife collapsed at an airport in South Africa
trying to take a flight to her home country of the Netherlands, the
department said. She died at a nearby hospital.
The department identified the patient in intensive care in a
hospital in Johannesburg as a British national. It said that person
fell ill near Ascension Island, another remote island in the
Atlantic, after the ship left Saint Helena and was transferred from
there to South Africa.
Around 150 passengers were onboard
Around 150 tourists were onboard at the time of the outbreak, South
Africa's health department said. Several online tour operators said
the Hondius, which is described as a specialist polar cruise ship,
usually travels with around 70 crew members.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the company that runs the cruise, said the
third victim's body was still onboard the ship in Cape Verde and its
priority was to ensure the two crew members who were ill received
medical care.
“Local health authorities have visited the vessel to assess the
condition of the two symptomatic individuals,” the company said.
“They are yet to make a decision regarding the transfer of these
individuals into medical care in Cape Verde.”
WHO said it was working with national authorities and the ship's
operators to conduct a “full public health risk assessment” and
provide support for those still onboard.
South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases,
meanwhile, was conducting contact tracing in the Johannesburg region
to identify if other people were exposed to the infected passengers
in South Africa.
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