Three dead in suspected virus outbreak on Atlantic cruise ship

Two crew members with unconfirmed hantavirus cases and a person close to the German national who died were due to be medically evacuated to the Netherlands.

The 69-year-old British national hospitalized in Johannesburg tested positive for hantavirus.

The Dutch wife aboard the MV Hondius tested positive for hantavirus, one of two confirmed cases.

A third passenger aboard the MV Hondius, a German national, died on May 2; the cause of death was not yet established.

Cape Verde authorities barred passengers from disembarking; the ship was due to dock in Cape Verde around that time.

A British national on board became seriously ill and was evacuated to a hospital in South Africa for intensive care.

The passenger's body was removed from the vessel after it docked at St Helena, where his wife disembarked and was later reported to have died during the return journey.

A passenger on the MV Hondius became unwell and died at sea on April 11, 2026.

The WHO said it was acting with urgency to support the MV Hondius, and noted hantavirus infections are uncommon and pose a low risk to the wider public. The UK government said consular teams were assisting British nationals in multiple countries, and discussions were ongoing about disembarkation and medical screening.

Hantavirus has been confirmed in the case of the 69-year-old UK national who is in intensive care in a hospital in South Africa, and was present in the Dutch woman who died. The cause of death of the other passengers is being investigated, and hantavirus had not been confirmed in the two crew members on board who had acute respiratory symptoms.

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, a third passenger onboard MV Hondius died. The cause of death had not been established; the passenger was German.

On 27 April, the firm said the British national became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa.

The passenger's body was taken off the ship after it docked at St Helena on 24 April. The passenger's wife also disembarked on St Helena and was said to have become unwell during the return journey and later died.

A passenger aboard MV Hondius became unwell and died on 11 April 2026.

A UK government spokesperson said consular teams were in the UK, South Africa, Spain and Portugal to support British nationals.

WHO's regional director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, said hantavirus infections are uncommon, not easily transmitted between people, and the risk to the wider public remains low.

Two crew members on board, one British and one Dutch, presented with acute respiratory symptoms (one mild, one severe) and required urgent medical care; it had not yet been confirmed that hantavirus affected them.

The 69-year-old UK national was identified as having hantavirus and remains in a critical but stable condition in a Johannesburg hospital.

On May 2, a third passenger on board, a German national, died; the cause of death had not been established.

On April 27, a British national aboard the Hondius was said to have become seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa.

The passenger's wife also disembarked on St Helena; she was reported to have become unwell during the return journey and later died (date of death not specified).

The passenger's body was taken off the ship after it docked at St Helena on April 24.

A passenger aboard the MV Hondius became unwell and died on April 11. The firm said the cause of death could not be determined at that time.

WHO described hantavirus transmission as linked to exposure to rodent urine or faeces, and noted that while there is no specific treatment, early medical care can improve survival; sequencing of the virus was ongoing and medical support for passengers and crew continued.

The same source said the victim’s wife died later in a South African hospital.

Local media cited South Africa’s health department as saying the first victim was an elderly man who died on board the vessel.

MarineTraffic data showed the MV Hondius docked in Praia, Cape Verde’s capital, on Sunday night.

The outbreak was associated with a voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde, according to the article.

South African media identified the vessel as the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship.

The WHO said it was working with authorities to evacuate two other passengers with symptoms from the ship.

WHO noted that one of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital.

The World Health Organization said three people had died and at least three others were ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic. The agency said an investigation was underway and at least one case had been confirmed; sequencing and laboratory testing were ongoing.

The article mentions three deaths in relation to the suspected hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius.

Oceanwide Expeditions describes MV Hondius as a 107.6-metre-long polar cruise ship with space for 170 people in 80 cabins.

WHO described the outbreak as a 'public health event'.

The World Health Organization said it is coordinating medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers and providing a full public health risk assessment and support for those still on board.

A 69-year-old British passenger was evacuated to Johannesburg and is being treated in intensive care.

A 69-year-old wife of a passenger on board was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital.

The operator confirmed one hantavirus case on board and five additional suspected cases are under investigation; a British national is reportedly in intensive care.

According to Oceanwide Expeditions itineraries, the MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina on March 20, 2026 as part of its polar-cruise itinerary.