Cruise ship MV Hondius faces WHO-led medical evacuation and risk assessment
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 3
Cruise ship MV Hondius faces WHO-led medical evacuation and risk assessment
15 articles · Updated · CNN · May 3
Three passengers have died and at least three others are ill aboard the vessel anchored off Praia, Cape Verde, where 149 people, including 17 Americans, remain on board.
WHO said only one laboratory-confirmed Hantavirus case has been identified so far, while Cape Verde has barred disembarkation and Dutch authorities are exploring repatriation of symptomatic people and one body.
Officials say there is no wider public health threat, but investigations continue into how infection occurred on a ship that sailed from Argentina via Antarctica and Saint Helena.
Three dead on a luxury cruise from a rare virus. Could this unprecedented outbreak happen again?
How did a deadly rodent virus spark a fatal outbreak on a modern Antarctic cruise ship?
Hantavirus Outbreak on MV Hondius Cruise: 3 Dead, 7 Infected, Ship Stranded Off Cape Verde
Overview
In early May 2026, the MV Hondius cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde following a hantavirus outbreak that caused three passenger deaths and several illnesses, including a critically ill British passenger evacuated to South Africa. The virus likely originated from exposure in Ushuaia, Argentina, or during early shore visits to rodent-inhabited islands. Cape Verde denied docking to protect public health, leaving about 150 people stranded onboard under strict isolation and hygiene measures. Oceanwide Expeditions, with WHO and Dutch health authorities, is coordinating efforts to find a safe port, possibly in the Canary Islands. The WHO assesses the risk of wider spread as low due to the virus's rare human-to-human transmission, while investigations continue to identify the exact source and strain.