A British crew member required urgent medical care and a UK passenger remained in critical but stable condition after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the expedition ship MV Hondius in the Atlantic.
The Hondius, which departed southern Argentina in March with 149 people from 23 countries, was held off the coast of Cape Verde after several people fell ill and passengers and crew isolated on board. The World Health Organization said it was investigating a suspected outbreak.
As of 4 May 2026 the WHO reported seven cases—two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases—including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three people with mild symptoms. The UN agency linked the infections to the deaths of a married Dutch couple and a German national, and to at least three other illnesses on board. A variant of hantavirus was identified in the British patient evacuated to intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise operator, said two staff members—a British and a Dutch crew member—were showing acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe, and required urgent medical attention, though hantavirus had not been confirmed in the crew. The company said the first passenger had died on 11 April and was disembarked on 24 April in St Helena with his wife; she later fell ill and died after collapsing at a South African airport while trying to return to the Netherlands. Another passenger, a German national, died on 2 May.
The Hondius is currently anchored off Cape Verde near Praia, Santiago island. Cape Verdean health authorities denied the ship permission to dock to protect national public health, and said they were coordinating with Dutch and UK authorities on clinical monitoring and possible air ambulance evacuations. Oceanwide said it was considering sailing to Spain’s Canary Islands—Las Palmas or Tenerife—for further medical screening and handling, and was working with Dutch authorities on repatriation arrangements that would include the body of a deceased individual and a guest closely associated with that person.
Dutch public health agency RIVM, which is assisting, said the source of infection remained unclear. Investigators are considering possibilities including rodents on board or exposure during a stop in South America. South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases was conducting contact tracing in Johannesburg around the evacuated patient to assess potential exposures.
The WHO stressed the risk to the wider public was low and said there was no need for panic or travel restrictions. The UK Foreign Office said it was closely monitoring the situation and in touch with the cruise company and local authorities.
Hantaviruses are typically transmitted to humans via contact with infected rodents’ urine or faeces and can cause severe respiratory illness and death; while human-to-human transmission is rare, it has been reported in limited settings. Past outbreaks include a 2019 cluster in southern Argentina that killed at least nine people. Passengers on the Hondius expressed distress and uncertainty about next steps, with some asking for clearer information and repatriation plans. Oceanwide said strict onboard precautionary measures—isolations, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring—were in place.
