The World Health Organization has confirmed eight cases of hantavirus, including three deaths, linked to the outbreak on the Dutch cruise vessel MV Hondius, as the United Kingdom prepared to receive approximately 24 passengers and crew members who will be isolated at a hospital previously used for Covid patients.
The WHO update, issued as of May 8, 2026, confirmed that six cases had been verified as the Andes virus strain, with four patients hospitalized. One case previously classified as suspected was reclassified as a non-case after testing negative for the Andes virus through specific laboratory analysis.
The WHO confirmed that one of its experts and one from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control were aboard the cruise ship to provide support to passengers, crew, and ship operators. Epidemiological investigations were underway to determine the source of exposure, including the travel history and potential exposures of the first case.
Illness onset among confirmed cases occurred between April 6 and April 28, 2026, during the cruise travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina toward Cape Verde off West Africa. Cases were characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, and rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock.
The Andes virus strain, the only hantavirus strain capable of person-to-person transmission, was confirmed among those who tested positive, fueling international concern. The WHO assessed the risk to the global population as low and said it would continue monitoring developments closely.
Passengers from Britain, Spain, and the United States, alongside crew from the Philippines, were among 23 nationalities aboard the vessel, which was carrying 147 people. The United States was arranging a repatriation flight for approximately 17 Americans aboard the ship, with the State Department confirming it was coordinating with the Spanish government and preparing consular assistance for when the vessel arrived in Tenerife.
In South Africa, 75 contacts had been identified, of whom 42 had been traced by national authorities and were under active monitoring. An adult male who disembarked at Tristan da Cunha on April 14 was described as stable, isolated, and classified as a probable case pending laboratory confirmation.
In the United Kingdom, approximately 24 British passengers and crew alongside two Irish nationals, none of whom were showing any symptoms, were being directed to Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, which was used to isolate people returning from Wuhan and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the start of the 2020 pandemic. The group would remain in isolation for an initial 72-hour period pending clinical assessment and testing.
The WHO advised all affected countries to continue public health coordination efforts, stressing that early recognition of suspected cases, prompt isolation, and strict infection prevention measures remained essential to protecting healthcare workers, passengers, and crew.
