US EditionSuspected Hantavirus Outbreak Kills 3 On Polar Cruise Ship
At least one case was confirmed as investigators traced the outbreak across a cruise ship voyage that left three passengers dead and several others ill.
- On Sunday, the World Health Organization confirmed one hantavirus case and five suspected infections aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius off Cape Verde. Of six affected passengers, three have died and one remains in intensive care.
- The Dutch-flagged vessel operated by Oceanwide Expeditions departed Argentina on March 20 for Cape Verde. Hantavirus typically spreads through contact with infected rodent urine or feces, though rare human-to-human transmission is possible.
- A 70-year-old passenger died on board with his body transferred to Saint Helena, while his 69-year-old wife died in a Johannesburg hospital. A 69-year-old British national remains in intensive care in South Africa.
- South African Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed investigations underway, while the WHO coordinates medical evacuations for symptomatic passengers. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases is conducting contact tracing in the Johannesburg region.
- The incident raises concerns about maritime infectious disease surveillance and management protocols on cruise vessels. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome carries approximately 38 per cent mortality in severe cases, making early medical intervention critical for survival.
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Cruise ship awaits aid after 3 die in suspected hantavirus outbreak
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – A cruise ship with nearly 150 people aboard was waiting for help off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after three passengers died and at least three other people were left seriously ill in a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus, according to the World Health Organization and the ship’s operator. The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weekslong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several …
Hantavirus outbreak traps 150 on ship off Cape Verde
Medics were working on Monday to evacuate two people with symptoms of the deadly hantavirus after a suspected outbreak on a luxury cruise ship held off West Africa carrying mostly British, American and Spanish passengers, officials said. Around 150 people were still stuck on the vessel after three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - died, and others fell ill, including a Briton who left the vessel and was being treated in South Afric…
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the death of three passengers by hantavirus on Oceanwilde Expeditions’ MV Hondius cruise, which left Ushuaia for the Canary Islands. “There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for EuropeOne more passenger was hospitalized in South Africa and two other cases remain under investigation, totaling six contagions. WHO initiated an epidemiological investigation an…
Medical evacuation planned for passengers of cruiseliner reporting several deaths due to suspected virus
The MV Hondius cruise liner is grappling with a suspected hantavirus outbreak, resulting in three deaths and multiple medical emergencies on board as passenger evacuations are set to begin.
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