Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship leaves three dead, one in intensive care

A hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius left three people dead, one British passenger in intensive care in Johannesburg, and health agencies across several countries tracing everyone who may have crossed paths with the virus after the ship stopped at St Helena.

The latest confirmed fatality was a 69-year-old Dutch woman who had disembarked at St Helena on April 24 with gastrointestinal symptoms. She collapsed at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport the next day while trying to continue her trip to the Netherlands, then died at a hospital in nearby Kempton Park on April 26. Health authorities said her laboratory results were positive for hantavirus. Her husband, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger, had died on board the ship on April 11.

A British passenger also fell ill while the ship was sailing from St Helena to Ascension Island and was medically evacuated to South Africa on April 27. He remained in intensive care in Johannesburg as of May 5. A German woman died aboard the MV Hondius on May 2 after developing symptoms five days earlier, adding to the concern that the infection had spread among passengers before the outbreak was fully recognized.

The World Health Organization said there were two laboratory-confirmed cases and five suspected cases, with three deaths and one patient in intensive care. The MV Hondius carried 149 people, including 88 passengers and 61 crew members from 23 passenger nationalities and 12 crew nationalities. Oceanwide Expeditions said 29 passengers disembarked at St Helena on April 24, a group that included people of at least 12 nationalities.

The public-health challenge now is tracing exposure across borders, from a remote South Atlantic stop to hospitals and airports in South Africa. St Helena’s government said there were no suspected or confirmed hantavirus cases on the island and that the risk to the public remained low, but it also said the UK Health Security Agency and the WHO were helping trace and monitor contacts. Authorities set a 45-day isolation period for higher-risk contacts, which would end on June 9 if there were no further developments.

The Dutch-flagged polar expedition vessel, built in 2019, had been traveling from Argentina toward the Canary Islands via Cape Verde when the outbreak was detected. Health teams were evaluating remaining suspected cases while the ship was moored off Cape Verde, underscoring how quickly a shipboard infection can force coordination between maritime operators, island authorities, airport screening and hospital systems once passengers have already left the vessel.