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Hantavirus outbreak timeline: First case on April 11 to global contact tracing
The first Hantavirus case was reported on April 11 aboard the MV Hondius. By May 6, the outbreak had eight cases with three deaths, and authorities were pursuing global contact tracing as the ship remained off Cape Verde awaiting evacuation.
Why It Matters
The case highlights rapid cross-border health responses to a rare hantavirus strain and the complexity of evacuating a cruise ship amid an outbreak.
Timeline
5 Events
May 6, 2026: Global contact tracing intensifies
May 6, 2026
Global health authorities, led by the World Health Organization, race to trace contacts and contain further spread of the Andes strain of hantavirus.
May 6, 2026: Evacuation efforts underway; health workers head to the ship
May 6, 2026
Health workers in protective gear were reported heading to the MV Hondius to commence evacuation, including the ship's British doctor who was in serious condition but has improved. An air ambulance departed later that day.
May 6, 2026: Eight Hantavirus cases confirmed as global tracing begins
May 6, 2026
The World Health Organization said the outbreak had grown to eight cases, including three laboratory-confirmed infections, and three people had died. The MV Hondius had sailed from Argentina and remained off Cape Verde with about 150 people on board awaiting evacuation toward the Canary Islands.
April 25, 2026: Body of first case removed at Saint Helena
April 25, 2026
The Dutch man identified as the first reported case had his body removed from the vessel and taken to Saint Helena for repatriation, approximately two weeks after symptom onset.
April 11, 2026: First reported Hantavirus case on MV Hondius
April 11, 2026
A Dutch man aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship began showing symptoms of fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, marking the first reported case of Hantavirus on the vessel.