A Western Cape resident who was on the plane with a woman who later died of a hantavirus infection has tested negative for the virus. (Image: iStock) The National Health Department confirmed on Monday that a Western Cape resident who had shown flu-like symptoms after possible exposure on a flight from St Helena Island to Johannesburg had tested negative for the Andes virus, or a hantavirus infection.
But the National Department of Health has now increased the number of close contacts that need monitoring from 62 to 97.
What is the Andes virus?
The Andes virus is part of the hantavirus family. These viruses infect rats, but don’t make them ill. However, in most cases, if humans are exposed to an infected rat’s droppings, urine or saliva, the infection may be passed on.
These cause severe disease in humans, which, depending on the type of virus, can either cause a hemorrhagic fever affecting the kidneys or a respiratory disease affecting the lungs. Of the 38 known hantaviruses, the Andes virus is the only one known to be transmissible between humans, and this is the one that health authorities estimate that 97 South Africans had a possible exposure to after an outbreak on a luxury cruise liner, the MV Hondius.
Cases so far
Reuters reported on Monday that the WHO has increased the total number of cases linked to the outbreak by one, after a French passenger tested positive for the virus following evacuation from the ship on Sunday.
The first was an elderly Dutch man (70) who, according to the WHO, was probably exposed to the virus during a birdwatching excursion in Argentina, and the second was his wife (69). Both then boarded the MV Hondius on 1 April.
/file/attachments/orphans/2275410637_224268.jpg "A helicopter flies over the MV Hondius after it reached the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on 10 May 2026. (Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty Images)")
The elderly man died on board on 11 April. At that stage, the ship’s medical team was unable to test for the virus. As a result, he is considered a probable case.
On 24 April, the ship docked at St Helena for the man’s body to be repatriated to the Netherlands. His wife went ashore at Saint Helena. She deteriorated on a flight to Johannesburg on 25 April and died on 26 April in a Johannesburg hospital. The available research on the Andes virus shows that it is transmissible in the later stages of the disease, with the onset of symptoms.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) tested a blood sample and she was confirmed positive for a hantavirus infection. Scientists at the NICD later narrowed down the type of virus to the Andes virus.
South African authorities then began contact tracing to ensure that passengers on the flight to Johannesburg who were in contact with the woman were not infected. Four passengers were traced to the Western Cape. One showed flu-like symptoms and was tested, but this test came back negative on Monday.
A British man, currently in ICU in Johannesburg, developed symptoms on 24 April and was medically evacuated from Ascension Island on 27 April. He too tested positive for the Andes virus.
Other cases linked to the MV Hondius
A woman who had flu-like symptoms and was later diagnosed with pneumonia died on the ship on 28 April. A post-mortem sample was collected and sent to the Netherlands with the evacuated patients, where it was confirmed that she too had been infected by the Andes virus.
The ship’s doctor then fell ill on 30 April. He tested positive for the Andes virus on 6 May. He was medically evacuated to the Netherlands and is in a stable condition.
A guide on the cruise liner reported symptoms on 27 April. His blood sample also tested positive for the Andes virus. He was medically evacuated from the ship to the Netherlands and is in a stable condition.
A passenger who left the cruise in St Helena and flew home to Switzerland through South Africa and Qatar has meanwhile tested positive for the Andes virus. He is hospitalised and in isolation in Switzerland.
A flight attendant who had contact with the Dutch tourist who died in Johannesburg was feared to have the Andes virus, but her test returned a negative result.
Authorities are awaiting the test results for another passenger, a UK citizen, who left the cruise liner in Tristan da Cunha on 14 April and then fell ill. He is in a stable condition – British paratroopers were used to bring him medical supplies this week due to the remoteness of his location.
/file/attachments/orphans/2275417771_609922.jpg "Passengers carry their belongings in plastic bags after being evacuated from the MV Hondius after docking in the Port of Granadilla on 10 May 2026 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. (Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty Images)")
Professor Lucille Blumberg explained last week that the incubation period for hantaviruses was around six weeks. As a result, those who had contact with the woman who died will have to be monitored continuously until this period expires.
Late last week, Argentinian authorities said they disputed the WHO’s conclusion that the elderly Dutch couple were first infected by the Andes virus in Ushuaia, a popular tourism destination.
Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology and environmental health for the Tierra del Fuego province, said during a press conference that the ship just happened to leave from Ushuaia, and the chance that they were infected by the virus there is “practically zero”.
He said the species of rodent carrying the virus did not live in the area and that the hantavirus “zone” was about 1,500km to the north.
On Sunday and Monday, the remaining passengers on the ship were evacuated and repatriated. Several countries have reported passengers with symptoms who are being monitored, but there have been no further confirmed cases. DM