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Second case of hantavirus confirmed after three deaths

2026-05-05 09:05:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Second case of hantavirus confirmed after three deaths

Two cases of hantavirus have been confirmed after three people died and a British national became seriously ill following a suspected outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The operator of the MV Hondius, Oceanwide Expeditions, said a Dutch man and woman, as well as a German national, had died.

Hantavirus has been confirmed in the case of a 69-year-old British national who is in intensive care in a hospital in South Africa and was present with the Dutch woman who died. The causes of death of the other passengers are being investigated.

Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents through their feces, saliva, or urine. It can cause severe respiratory illness.

It is rarely transmitted between people.

In addition to the British national who has been confirmed to have hantavirus, a British crew member is among five other suspected cases linked to the ship being investigated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The MV Hondius ship is currently off the coast of Cape Verde and has 149 people from 23 countries on board.

"The atmosphere aboard the MV Hondius remains calm, with passengers generally calm," Oceanwide Expeditions said.

It added that two crew members - one British and one Dutch - are on board "with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe", but hantavirus had not been confirmed in the pair.

Both need urgent medical attention, she said. No other people on board have shown symptoms.

Dutch authorities are "actively preparing" for a medical evacuation of the two crew members, as well as a person "connected" to the German national who died, Oceanwide Expeditions said.

"This will include two specialized aircraft equipped with the necessary medical equipment and staffed with trained medical teams," she said.

Negotiations are underway with local authorities following what Oceanwide Expeditions described as "a serious medical situation".

Setting a timeline, the company said a passenger fell ill while on board and died on April 11.

The cause of his death could not be determined and his body was recovered from the ship after it docked at St Helena on April 24./CNA, translated by BBC





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