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[FILE] View of the Ocean Explorer, a luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground…
Three people have died, and three others have fallen ill after a Netherlands-based cruise ship was hit by a suspected outbreak of hantavirus, authorities and media reports said on Sunday.
The cruise departed from Argentina about three weeks ago with around 150 passengers and travelled to the Antarctic and other locations before heading towards Cape Verde.
A spokesperson for the Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed that two Dutch passengers had died but did not provide further details.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said one of the sick passengers is in intensive care in Johannesburg.
Reports indicate the patient is a British national.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said authorities in Cape Verde had not granted permission for passengers requiring medical care to disembark.
Dutch officials are working to arrange the repatriation of two symptomatic passengers and the body of a deceased passenger.
Hantavirus | 3 dead, another in ICU
WHO says it is coordinating international efforts related to the outbreak.
“WHO is facilitating coordination between member states and the ship’s operators for medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, as well as full public health risk assessment and support to the remaining passengers on board,” the agency said.
Health authorities say hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus that can cause severe respiratory illness.
It is typically spread when particles from rodent urine or droppings become airborne.
Human-to-human transmission is rare but possible.
The illness begins with flu-like symptoms and can progress to heart and lung failure.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, about 40% of cases can be fatal.
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus, and care is focused on managing symptoms, including the use of ventilators in severe cases.
The WHO has confirmed that laboratory tests have identified hantavirus in one of the six affected individuals, with at least five additional suspected cases under investigation.
The outbreak occurred on board the MV Hondius, a polar expedition vessel operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, which is currently located off Cape Verde.
WHO says further testing and genetic sequencing are ongoing to better understand the strain involved in the outbreak.
WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Of the six affected individuals, three have died… pic.twitter.com/SqMAAZzoID
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 3, 2026
BREAKING NEWS | A British tourist is being treated for hantavirus in a South African hospital after testing positive for the virus on a cruise ship. Hantaviruses are primarily carried by rodents and cause rare but severe respiratory and kidney diseases in humans. pic.twitter.com/PexOMhFlFr
— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 4, 2026
