The World Health Organization says a rare case of human-to-human hantavirus transmission may have occurred aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship now linked to three passenger deaths and seven confirmed or suspected cases. Health officials say the risk to the wider public remains low, while medical evacuations, testing, disinfection and monitoring continue.
Hantavirus usually spreads through contact with infected rodents, including exposure to their urine, droppings or saliva. WHO official Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said investigators are now examining whether the virus spread between people in close contact aboard the vessel.
“Some people on the ship were couples, they were sharing rooms, so that’s quite intimate contact,” Van Kerkhove said.
WHO officials believe the first person who became ill may have contracted the virus before boarding the ship. Investigators are working under the assumption that the Andes strain, found in parts of South America, may be involved. The cruise began in Argentina and travelled across the Atlantic before anchoring near Cape Verde.
Two of the deceased passengers were a Dutch married couple. The wife has been confirmed to have had a variant of hantavirus, while the virus has not been confirmed in her husband. A German national also died aboard the ship on May 2, but the cause has not yet been established.
A 69-year-old UK national who was evacuated to South Africa for treatment has also tested positive and remains in intensive care. WHO says the cases include three deaths, one critically ill patient and three people with mild symptoms.
Oceanwide Expeditions said 149 people from 23 countries remain on the vessel under strict precautionary measures. The ship has been held near Cape Verde after local authorities barred passengers from disembarking on public health grounds.
Van Kerkhove said the WHO’s “top priority” is the treatment of two crew members, of Dutch and British nationality, who developed respiratory symptoms. They are expected to be medically evacuated to the Netherlands, along with a person linked to the German passenger who died.
“Our working hypothesis is that there’s probably a couple of different types of transmission that might be happening,” Van Kerkhove told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday.
Spanish authorities have discussed the possibility of receiving the ship in the Canary Islands, where further risk assessment, medical monitoring and disinfection would take place. Spain’s health ministry said a final decision would depend on epidemiological data gathered while the vessel remains near Cape Verde.
Travel vlogger Jake Rosmarin wrote on social media: “There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home.”
Health officials continue to stress that hantavirus does not spread easily between people. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the broader public health risk remains very low while infection-control measures stay in place.
