The MV Hondius, a polar cruise ship traveling from Ushuaia to Cape Verde, experienced an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illness that has killed at least two passengers and left a third in intensive care in Johannesburg. One evacuee tested positive for a hantavirus, a rodent-borne virus that can cause severe disease. WHO is coordinating an international public-health response while authorities consider isolating additional sick passengers in Cape Verde.
Outbreak Aboard MV Hondius: At Least Two Dead, One Tests Positive for Hantavirus
Hantaviruses are spread by rodents, in particular through contact with their droppings, urine or saliva (MIGUEL MEDINA)(MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/AFP)
A severe outbreak of acute respiratory illness aboard the MV Hondius, a polar cruise ship en route from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde, has killed at least two passengers and left a third in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, health officials and news agencies report. South African authorities said one patient evacuated to Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus.
South African government spokesperson Foster Mohale said the first passenger to develop symptoms, a 70-year-old man, died on board and his body was reportedly on the island of Saint Helena. His 69-year-old wife also fell ill, was evacuated to Johannesburg and later died in hospital. A separate 69-year-old British man was evacuated to Johannesburg and remains in intensive care. An anonymous source told AFP the provisional toll could be three, including a Dutch couple; authorities have not yet confirmed nationalities.
WHO has said it is aware of the cases of severe acute respiratory illness on the cruise ship and that investigations and a coordinated international public-health response are under way. More information will be released as it becomes available.
Officials were discussing whether to isolate two other sick passengers in a Cape Verde hospital before allowing the MV Hondius to continue to the Canary Islands. The vessel, operated by Dutch-based Oceanwide Expeditions, is marketed as a polar cruise ship and was reported near Praia, Cape Verde's capital. The ship can accommodate roughly 170 passengers and about 70 crew members.
What Is Hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses typically carried by rodents and can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva, by bites, or by inhaling dust contaminated with virus particles. Different hantavirus species exist worldwide and can cause a range of illnesses, from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; symptoms and severity vary by virus type.
Authorities caution that the positive hantavirus test is one piece of an unfolding investigation and that further laboratory analyses and epidemiological inquiries are ongoing. AFP contacted Oceanwide Expeditions for comment but had not received a reply at the time of reporting. Public-health agencies and international partners, including WHO, are coordinating the response and are expected to provide updates.
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