Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius is anchored off the coast of the city of Praia on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, on 4 May 2026. (Photo: EPA / Elton Monteiro) The World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest assessment of the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius that the risk of further spread remained low. Passengers still on the vessel were instructed to remain in their cabins while disinfection procedures were carried out.
WHO epidemiologist Dr Maria van Kerkhove, who also served as the organisation’s technical lead during the Covid-19 pandemic, said no additional symptomatic passengers or crew members had been identified, but that the situation was being closely monitored.
The reason for this is that, although rare, limited human-to-human transmission has been recorded with the Andes virus – a strain of hantavirus that affects the lungs. These transmissions have only been documented in community settings involving close and prolonged contact, primarily in rural areas of Chile and Argentina where the virus is endemic.
Other hantaviruses infect humans through contact with the urine, faeces or saliva of rodents carrying the virus. Read the WHO’s latest fact sheet on the hantavirus here.
WHO investigators found that the first passenger who died aboard the MV Hondius on 11 April, and his wife – who later collapsed and died at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg – had travelled in South America, including Argentina, before boarding the ship on 1 April 2026.
Sequencing of the virus is being undertaken at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and in Senegal.
A spokesperson for Oceanwide Expeditions, Kiki Hirschfeldt, said that the cruise liner remained anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. She said the WHO had informed the company that it was investigating possible human-to-human transmission of the virus aboard the vessel.
Hirschfeldt added that preliminary findings indicated the first infected passenger, a 70-year-old Dutch tourist, was likely infected before boarding the MV Hondius.
Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed that the wife had tested positive for the hantavirus. Both Mohale and the WHO confirmed that contact tracing for those who were in contact with the woman was under way.
A British tourist who was travelling on the ship has also tested positive for hantavirus and is being treated at a private hospital in Johannesburg.
A German tourist died aboard the ship from a suspected hantavirus infection, while three other patients with mild symptoms remain under medical care on the vessel.
According to the risk assessment the WHO was first alerted to the outbreak by the UK. The organisation confirmed that another passenger, a German woman, also died and that three crew members who have fallen ill remain on the ship.
On Tuesday evening van Kerkhove said one of the patients had made a good recovery.
“The vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026 and followed an itinerary across the South Atlantic, with a number of stops in remote and ecologically diverse regions, including mainland Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island.
“The extent of passenger contact with local wildlife during the voyage, or prior to boarding in Ushuaia, remains undetermined. The vessel carries a total of 147 individuals – 88 passengers and 59 crew members. Onboard passengers and crew represent 23 nationalities. As of 4 May 2026, the vessel is moored off the coast of Cape Verde,” the WHO report continues.
“Three suspected cases have reported high fever and/or gastrointestinal symptoms and remain on board. Medical teams in Cabo Verde are evaluating the patients and collecting additional specimens for testing,” it concludes. DM