The WHO raises the number of hantavirus cases on the cruise ship 'MV Hondius' to seven, which has already left at least three dead. The outbreak, detected during a trip that departed from Ushuaia to Cape Verde, also includes a patient in critical condition and several mild cases. Given the situation, Spain agreed to receive the ship in the Canary Islands, at the request of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union, to coordinate the health care of passengers and crew.
First modification: 05/06/2026 - 00:00Last modification: 05/06/2026 - 00:33
The World Health Organization (WHO) increased to seven the number of people infected by hantavirus on the MV Hondius Cruise, which covered the route between Ushuaia (Argentina) and Cape Verde.
Of the seven cases, three people have died, one is in critical condition and three have mild symptoms, the health agency said in a statement.
"Seven cases have been identified (two laboratory-confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases), including three deaths, one patient in critical condition and three individuals presenting with mild symptoms. The onset of the disease occurred between April 6 and 28, 2026 and was characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock," the WHO said.
Read alsoWHO raises the number of hantavirus cases on a cruise ship stranded off Cape Verde to seven
The entity also reported that the outbreak is being managed through a coordinated international response, which includes exhaustive investigations, case isolation and care, medical evacuation and laboratory investigations.
"We are not just headlines. We are people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home"
American blogger Jake Rosmarin published a video in which he recounts the drama and uncertainty that passengers are going through on board the cruise ship.
“What is happening right now is very real for all of us,” says the influencer in a recording published on his Instagram account.
"We are not just headlines. We are people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home," he adds, while he is seen holding back tears.
Rosman takes advantage of the publication to thank the work of the crew and the operating company, Oceanwide Expeditions, and concludes with a wish: “The only thing we want right now is to feel safe, have clarity and return home.”
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The cruise departed Ushuaia on April 1 and followed an itinerary across the South Atlantic, with multiple stops in remote and ecologically diverse regions, including continental Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island.
According to the WHO, the most plausible hypothesis is that the hantavirus infection occurred outside the cruise ship.
“Taking into account the length of the hantavirus incubation period, which can range from one to six weeks, our hypothesis is that they were infected outside the ship,” said WHO director of epidemic and pandemic prevention and preparedness Maria Van Kerkhove.
Read alsoWhat is hantavirus and how is it transmitted?: keys to the outbreak on a cruise ship that leaves at least three dead
The seven cases of hantavirus
Below are some data about passengers, based on information shared by health and national authorities:
The first person to die aboard the ship was a 70-year-old man from the Netherlands. On April 6, he presented symptoms of fever, headache and mild diarrhea, and died on April 11 after suffering respiratory difficulty. His body was recovered from the ship on the island of Saint Helena on April 24.
The second fatality was the wife of the first patient, 69 years old. He fell ill on board the ship and disembarked at St. Helena. She was flown to Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 25, where she was due to catch a connecting flight to the Netherlands, but collapsed at the airport and died in a nearby hospital on April 26.
The third case corresponds to a British citizen who began to present symptoms on board the ship after his departure from Saint Helena. He landed on Ascension Island, where he received treatment, and was evacuated by air to South Africa on 27 April. He remains hospitalized and is isolated in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg.
The fourth case is a German woman who died on the ship on May 2, after developing symptoms five days earlier.
The vessel is carrying a total of 147 people, including 88 passengers and 59 crew members. The passengers and crew on board represent 23 nationalities.
Given this situation, Spain has accepted, at the request of the WHO and the European Union, that the cruise ship make a stopover in the Canary Islands to coordinate the health care of passengers and crew.
Read alsoDirect Latam and the Argentine track of the cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak stranded in Cape Verde
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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