Nations across the globe are intensifying efforts to prevent the further spread of hantavirus, following an outbreak linked to a cruise ship. As reported by CNA on Thursday, May 7, authorities in various countries are actively tracing passengers who disembarked from the vessel before the virus was detected, along with anyone who has had close contact with them since.
The deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has tragically claimed three lives: a Dutch couple and a German national.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a total of five cases of the virus, with an additional three suspected. While hantavirus typically spreads through rodents, it can, in rare instances, be transmitted from person to person. This person-to-person transmission is characteristic of the Andes strain, which has been identified in the cruise ship cases.
The ship operator has confirmed that all passengers who disembarked at St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where the vessel docked on April 24, have been contacted. This extensive group includes individuals from at least 12 different nations, among them seven British and six American citizens. The first confirmed case of hantavirus in this particular outbreak emerged in early May.
This Is Not COVID
The WHO reiterated that the risk to the general public remains low, despite the Andes strain of the virus – identified in some of the victims – being capable of rare human-to-human transmission.
“This is not a coronavirus; this is a very different virus,” stated Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, during a press conference in Geneva on Thursday evening. “This is not the same situation as six years ago.”
The WHO also announced that it is developing step-by-step guidance for dozens of passengers who are still aboard the ship, which is currently sailing towards the Canary Islands. These passengers are expected to arrive and disembark on Saturday or Sunday before returning home. Crucially, none of the passengers currently on board are exhibiting any symptoms.
Contact Tracing and Surveillance
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affirmed that it is closely monitoring the situation, adding that the risk to the American public is presently very low.
President Donald Trump informed reporters on Thursday that he had been briefed on the hantavirus situation and expressed optimism that the virus was under control.
“We have great hope that it’s under control,” Trump remarked.
When questioned about whether Americans should be concerned about the virus’s spread, Trump responded, “I hope not.” He also mentioned, without elaborating further, that a report on the virus was anticipated on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that it is monitoring two asymptomatic residents who returned home after disembarking from the cruise ship.
Similarly, the Arizona Department of Health Services is monitoring one resident, also a former passenger, who remains asymptomatic. According to The New York Times, California authorities are also monitoring several residents who were on the vessel.
Meanwhile, officials in Texas confirmed that two residents who were passengers on the cruise ship had returned to the U.S. before the outbreak was initially identified.
French officials have stated that a French national who had contact with someone who fell ill is currently asymptomatic.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that it is actively working to gather detailed information on all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked at various stops since March 20.
The Dutch couple who passed away, and are believed to represent the first hantavirus cases in this outbreak, had boarded the ship on April 1.
Dutch airline KLM stated that it disembarked the Dutch woman in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 25 due to her worsening health condition. She tragically died before she could reach the Netherlands.
According to television station RTL, a KLM flight attendant who had contact with the deceased woman has been hospitalized in Amsterdam after exhibiting possible hantavirus symptoms.
Dutch authorities, speaking to public television station NOS, confirmed that crew members and passengers who assisted the deceased Dutch woman are undergoing daily health checks.
Singapore’s Communicable Disease Agency (CDA) announced on Thursday that two Singaporean nationals, who were aboard the MV Hondius, are currently isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, where they are undergoing virus tests.
“Their test results are still pending. One individual has a cold but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore remains low at this time,” the CDA stated.
Both men – a 67-year-old Singaporean citizen and a 65-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident – had disembarked from the ship. The CDA further noted that both were also on the same flight as a confirmed hantavirus case, traveling from St Helena to Johannesburg on April 25. The agency added that this confirmed case did not travel to Singapore and had passed away in South Africa.
Evacuation and Testing
Three patients were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday. Two have been hospitalized in the Netherlands, while the third was transferred to Germany for specialized medical treatment.
According to Sky News, expedition guide Martin Anstee is one of the two evacuees hospitalized in the Netherlands. He reported feeling “fine” but acknowledged that “many more tests have to be done.”
The Düsseldorf University Clinic, which is treating the German passenger, clarified that this individual is not a confirmed case but rather a contact, currently undergoing tests.
In Switzerland, officials reported that a man who traveled on the cruise ship and was subsequently hospitalized has tested positive for the infection.
Danish health authorities have advised a Danish national who was aboard the Hondius and has since returned home to self-isolate as a precautionary measure.
Canadian officials stated that two Canadian citizens who were on the cruise ship had returned home prior to the outbreak’s identification. Additionally, another Canadian was on the same flight as the hantavirus-infected woman who died in South Africa. All three individuals are currently asymptomatic.
Summary
International health authorities are actively tracing passengers and crew from the MV Hondius cruise ship following a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has resulted in three fatalities. While the virus typically spreads through rodents, the Andes strain identified in these cases is capable of rare person-to-person transmission. The World Health Organization and national health agencies are monitoring contacts across multiple countries, though they emphasize that the risk to the general public remains low.
The ship operator and various government departments are coordinating health checks for passengers who disembarked at different ports, including those currently remaining on the vessel. Most individuals identified through contact tracing are currently asymptomatic, and health officials in countries like the United States, Singapore, and across Europe are conducting testing and surveillance as a precaution. Authorities stress that this situation is distinct from the COVID-19 pandemic and is being managed through targeted isolation and medical observation.