South African Scientists Confirm 4 Hantavirus Cases on MV Hondius as Death Toll Reaches 3
Updated
Updated · El Dorado News-Times · May 30
South African Scientists Confirm 4 Hantavirus Cases on MV Hondius as Death Toll Reaches 3
9 articles · Updated · El Dorado News-Times · May 30
Within 24 hours, South African scientists identified the Andes strain of hantavirus in an evacuated MV Hondius passenger, giving investigators the first confirmed cause of the shipboard outbreak.
Tests for Legionella, bird flu and other respiratory diseases were negative, and the ship’s route from Argentina plus passengers’ exposure to rodent-prone areas pushed the team toward hantavirus.
Four cases have now been confirmed and three passengers have died, including a Dutch woman in South Africa whose posthumous test also came back positive.
WHO used the result to alert the ship to an outbreak of a virus that is usually hard to spread between people, though the Andes strain can transmit person to person.
The Dutch cruise ship has since reached Rotterdam, where it was disinfected and the remaining crew disembarked, while the first confirmed British patient is improving in hospital.
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The 2026 MV Hondius Andes Hantavirus Outbreak: Global Response, Transmission Risks, and Lessons for Future Pandemic Preparedness
Overview
In June 2026, a major hantavirus outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius cruise ship, affecting nearly 150 people during its voyage from Argentina to Antarctica. The outbreak was caused by the Andes virus strain, which is known for its rare ability to spread from person to person and has circulated in Argentina and Chile for decades. Although the World Health Organization assessed the risk of wider transmission as low, the incident exposed important gaps in global preparedness for handling such severe infectious diseases. American passengers were allowed to return home under strict monitoring, highlighting the need for improved response strategies in future outbreaks.