Rare hantavirus human-to-human spread possible on cruise ship, WHO says
3 people died and 147 people were quarantined due to a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship
A devastating hantavirus outbreak is suspected on the cruise ship MV Hondius; Three people were confirmed dead and 147 people were quarantined. Foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reports on the latest news from London and details how Cape Verde authorities are refusing to allow docking due to health concerns. Because the disease can cause fatal respiratory diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) is actively investigating the source of the outbreak.
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There was rare human-to-human transmission of hantavirus on a cruise ship with about 150 passengers, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday after three passengers died and at least four others fell ill.
The UN health agency said it was still investigating the outbreak on the Dutch ship MV Hondius off the coast of Cape Verde, stressing that human-to-human transmission was rare and the risk to the wider public was low.
“We believe that human-to-human transmission can occur between really close contacts, husband and wife, people sharing the same cabin,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters in Geneva. he said.
“Some people on the ship were couples, sharing the same room, it’s quite intimate contact,” Van Kerkhove said. he said.
OUTBREAK ON CRUISE SHIP KILLS 3 AS AUTHORITIES DELAY MEDICAL EVACUATION AND INVESTIGATE HANTAVIRUS THREAT
The cruise ship MV Hondius docked at the port of Praia in Cape Verde on May 4, 2026. (Arilson Almeida/AP)
Two cases of hantavirus infection have been laboratory confirmed, while five suspected cases are pending, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Three of the seven affected people have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.
According to the UN health agency, humans are primarily infected with hantavirus through contact with the urine, feces or saliva of infected rodents, although limited human-to-human transmission has been reported in previous outbreaks of the Andean variant of the virus.
Healthcare workers disembarked from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship off the coast of Cape Verde on May 4, 2026, after three passengers died and several others became seriously ill due to a suspected hantavirus outbreak. (Kasem Elhato/AP)
The WHO said it was told there were no mice on the cruise ship, leading to the assumption that the dead Dutch couple had been infected in Argentina before boarding the ship.
NOROVIRUS SICKS MORE THAN 200 CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS ON TRAVEL DURING THE MONTH
The ship was on a week-long polar voyage from Argentina to Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic.
Authorities are working to determine whether the cases are related and when those needing medical care will be allowed to disembark.
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius remained off the coast of Cape Verde on May 4, 2026, after three passengers died and several others became seriously ill due to a suspected hantavirus outbreak. (Kasem Elhato/AP)
The WHO said on Monday that passengers were asked to remain in their cabins and “limit risks while disinfection and other measures are taken.”
For now, the plan is for the ship to “continue heading towards the Canary Islands,” Van Kerkhove told reporters.
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“We are working with Spanish authorities to welcome the ship,” Van Kerkhove said.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner along with The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
