EuroWire, GENEVA: The World Health Organization said three people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the polar expedition vessel MV Hondius in the Atlantic, with one infection laboratory confirmed and five additional cases under investigation. The ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, was off Cape Verde as health officials assessed the risk to passengers and crew. One patient was in intensive care in Johannesburg, while two symptomatic crew members remained on board awaiting transfer for medical treatment.
Oceanwide Expeditions said it was managing a serious medical situation on the Dutch-flagged vessel, which had departed from Ushuaia in Argentina about three weeks earlier and traveled through Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. The company said three passengers had died during the voyage and that local authorities in Cape Verde had visited the ship to assess the two crew members who still required urgent care. The vessel was carrying about 150 passengers, with a crew complement of roughly 70.
South African health authorities said the first victim died during the voyage and the body was removed at Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. The second victim, identified as the man’s wife, later died in South Africa after leaving the ship. The patient being treated in intensive care in Johannesburg was identified by South African authorities as a British national who fell ill later in the crossing and was evacuated for treatment after the vessel passed Ascension Island.
Public Health Response Intensifies
WHO said detailed laboratory and epidemiological investigations were continuing, including sequencing of the virus, as officials worked to determine the source of exposure and the risk to the remaining people on board. The agency said it was supporting coordination between national authorities and the ship’s operator on medical care, evacuation efforts and a broader public health assessment. South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases was also carrying out contact tracing linked to the cases treated in Johannesburg.
Oceanwide Expeditions said Cape Verdean authorities had not authorized disembarkation for medical care or wider medical screening as of late Sunday, although local health teams had boarded the vessel to examine the two sick crew members. The company said Dutch authorities had agreed to lead a joint effort to organize repatriation from Cape Verde for the symptomatic individuals and for the remains of one deceased passenger, subject to clearance and logistical support from local health authorities.
Hantavirus Risk and Exposure Focus
The outbreak unfolded on a voyage that began in southern Argentina and was due to end in Spain’s Canary Islands after a route that included Antarctic waters and South Atlantic island stops. The combination of deaths, a critically ill patient and two additional symptomatic crew members prompted a multinational response involving WHO, Cape Verdean officials, South African health authorities and Dutch officials. The event drew particular attention because hantavirus cases are uncommon in a maritime setting and require careful investigation of possible exposure points.
Hantavirus infections are usually linked to contact with infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva, and can cause severe respiratory or kidney-related illness. Health officials said most cases are not spread from person to person, though WHO has noted that such transmission can occur in rare instances. There is no specific antiviral treatment, making rapid supportive care central to the response as authorities continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew and determine how the infection cluster developed aboard the ship.