Hantavirus: Human transmission possible in cruise ship outbreak, says WHO – National
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it believed there was possible human-to-human transmission of hantavirus on a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 passengers, with four Canadian passengers confirmed to be on board.
Hantavirus is a disease carried by rodents, but the WHO said this time it may have spread between “really close people” on board the MV Hondius, from Argentina to Cape Verde.
“Some of the people on the ship were couples, they were living together, so that’s a close connection,” said Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s director of epidemiology and pandemic preparedness, adding that the cruise also stopped at several islands off the coast of Africa, some of which “have a lot of rats.”
“There may be a source of infection in the islands and other suspected cases,” he said. “However, we believe that there may be person-to-person transmission that occurs between people who are really close,” such as those who have shared rooms.
“One patient is in critical condition in South Africa, although we understand that this patient is improving,” he said, while two patients still on the ship are being prepared to be flown to the Netherlands for treatment.
As a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public procedures are carried out, the WHO revealed.
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus, but early medical care can increase the chances of survival.
“Usually, people will have respiratory symptoms, so respiratory support is very important,” said Van Kerkhove, explaining that some people need mechanical ventilation and intensive treatment.
Van Kerkhove spoke to the people on board, saying, “We want you to know that we are working with the ship operators” and the countries from which the travelers are departing.
“We hear you, we know you’re scared,” she said. “We’re trying to make sure that the ship has as much information as possible … that it’s taken care of, and that it comes home safe.”
In a statement shared on Tuesday, the WHO said, “Since April 1 when the boat left, of the 147 passengers and crew, 7 people have fallen ill, of which three have died, one is seriously ill and three are reporting mild symptoms.”
“Based on current information, including how hantavirus spreads, WHO assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low,” the statement said. “We are working closely with health authorities from the affected countries and ship operators to ensure that passengers and crew get the information and support they need.”
The WHO said it will “continue to monitor the situation and update the risk assessment as more information becomes available.”
Two of the dead have been identified as a Dutch couple, a 70-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman.
The man died when he arrived on the island of St. The woman, who also fell ill while riding, was rushed to South Africa, where she died at a Johannesburg hospital, said South African Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale in a statement sent to Global News.
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“On May 2, another passenger died on the boat. The cause is still unknown. The passenger was from Germany,” according to Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company that operates the ship.
The cruise ship is stuck as sick crew members await evacuation
The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weeks-long voyage from Argentina to Antarctica and several remote islands in the South Atlantic, was waiting for help after authorities on the island of Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa, refused to allow passengers to disembark due to public health concerns.
Pictures obtained by the Associated Press showed the decks of the ship mostly deserted, with only a few people wearing medical masks walking around. The common halls were empty as the passengers were alone in their rooms. At least five people wearing full protective gear, white overalls, boots and face masks, were seen getting off the ship and into the smaller vessel.
Cape Verdean authorities sent teams of doctors, surgeons, nurses and laboratory technicians to provide medical assistance to the ship.
Officials in Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, a city of less than 200,000 people, said they had stepped up security measures, particularly near the port, as a way to avoid rat-borne illness.
The company operating the ship based in the Netherlands, Oceanwide Expeditions, said it will consider moving the ship to one of the Spanish islands, Tenerife or the port of Las Palmas, if it cannot take passengers to Cape Verde.
Van Kerkhove told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the current plan is for the ship to “continue to the Canary Islands.”
“We are working with the Spanish authorities, who will receive the ship,” said Van Kerkhove.
The Ministry of Health of Spain said in a statement on Tuesday that “it is closely monitoring, together with the World Health Organization and other countries concerned, the condition of the ship … (and) the appropriate place of call will be determined. Until then, the Ministry of Health will not take any decision, as we have informed the World Health Organization.”
An update from Oceanwide Expeditions
In an update from Oceanwide Expeditions, it said the atmosphere on the ship “is always calm, and the passengers are normal.”
The company said the response system used on board is the highest level, three, and includes isolation measures, hygiene measures and medical monitoring.
“Oceanwide Expeditions continues to deal with the critical health situation aboard the m/v Hondius, which is still anchored off the coast of Cape Verde,” the company said in a press release.
“Oceanwide Expeditions can confirm, through WHO, that a variant of hantavirus has been identified as being present in a Dutch woman who died on 27 April 2026 after disembarking in Saint Helena. This brings the total number of confirmed hantavirus cases to two,” the company added.
Oceanwide Expeditions said their crew members “work diligently to support all people on board and adhere to strict health and safety procedures as part of Oceanwide Expeditions’ SHIELD response program.”
“Dutch authorities are busy preparing the medical discharge of these two symptomatic people and a person related to the tourist who died on May 2,” the company said. “This will involve two special aircraft equipped with the necessary medical equipment and with trained medical personnel.”
Oceanwide Expedition added that the exact timeline for the operation is “currently unknown” and will be shared in further development.
“Local health authorities visited the ship and assessed the situation. The medical transfer of the two sick people on board has not yet taken place. Close cooperation continues with local and international authorities, including WHO, RIVM, relevant embassies and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the company added.
It also confirmed that the delegation will not disembark in Cape Verde, “except for three people who are scheduled to be medically evacuated.”
“Currently, the exact disembarkation location for the remaining guests aboard the m/v Hondius has not been finalized,” the press release said.
In another update on Tuesday, Oceanwide Expeditions said, “At this time, no new people with symptoms on board have been identified other than those previously reported.”
The company also noted that the vessel remains off the coast of Cape Verde and “discussions with the relevant authorities regarding the next steps of the m/v Hondius, including a possible descent and route, are ongoing.”
Hantavirus is spread mainly through contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, especially when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing an inhalation risk, according to the Canadian government.
People are often exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning confined spaces with little ventilation or checking areas where rodents have fallen.
People can also get this virus from rats, mice and other rodents.
“For this reason, it is best to avoid close contact with rats in Canada and other countries,” the Canadian government said.
The WHO says that although it is rare, hantaviruses can be spread directly between people.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region – the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome became a nationally notifiable disease in 1995 and is now reported through the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System when fever is present in a patient with laboratory-confirmed evidence of hantavirus infection, according to the CDC.
Infections can develop quickly and become life-threatening. Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome usually appear between one and eight weeks after contact with an infected mouse. As the infection progresses, patients may experience chest tightness as the lungs fill with fluid.
Another disease caused by hantavirus – hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome – usually begins within a week or two after exposure.
The death rate varies depending on which hantavirus is causing the illness. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is fatal in about 35 percent of people infected with the virus, while the fatality rate of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome varies from 1 to 15 percent of patients, according to the CDC.
Since 1989, there have been 109 confirmed cases and 27 deaths in Canada due to hantavirus infection, the Canadian government said.
— via files from The Associated Press
