Cruise ship - Hantavirus confirmed in 3 passengers, 5 more probable cases - 3 total cruise deaths (incl. 1 of the confirmed cases) - May 3+ - Several govs & WHO involved

[Pathfinder]

Spain MoH:

Translation Google

The Ministry of Health is coordinating with the WHO and international authorities the response to the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius ship

• From the outset, Spain activated international health coordination mechanisms together with the WHO, the ECDC, the European Commission, the Netherlands, South Africa, Cape Verde and the Government of the Canary Islands.
• The three symptomatic cases have been evacuated from the ship. The vessel, which will dock in the port of Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife), is carrying only passengers and crew without symptoms.
• Spanish citizens with habitual residence in Spain will be transferred to the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid, where they will undergo quarantine under health supervision.
• The Ministry of Health emphasizes that the risk to the general population is very low and reiterates that interpersonal transmission of Andean hantavirus is extremely rare.
• Spain is acting in compliance with the International Health Regulations and its humanitarian and health protection obligations, especially given the presence of Spanish citizens on board.

Madrid, May 6, 2026 - The Minister of Health appeared at a press conference to report on the situation arising from the hantavirus outbreak detected on the MV Hondius ship, a Dutch vessel from Argentina with an initial destination of Cape Verde after passing through South Africa, in which approximately 150 people of 23 different nationalities are traveling, including 14 Spanish citizens.

The minister explained that the Ministry of Health became aware of the situation last week through international health alert and coordination channels, immediately activating joint monitoring with the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Commission, the countries involved and the Government of the Canary Islands.

Since the beginning of the crisis, there has been constant coordination between all the administrations and institutions involved. The minister noted that she has been in continuous contact with the president of the Canary Islands government, Fernando Clavijo, while the Secretary of State for Health, the Directorate General of Public Health,
Foreign Health, and the technical teams have worked in coordination with their regional and international counterparts to share information, assess risks, and prepare the health response.

Current epidemiological situation

According to updated information, the outbreak currently has eight linked cases, of which three have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

• Three deaths (one confirmed by laboratory test).
• A patient admitted to a hospital in Switzerland with a positive test (he disembarked from the ship in Saint Helena)
• Another patient in ICU in South Africa (the third with a diagnosis)
• Three symptomatic patients have already been evacuated by plane from Cape Verde to Amsterdam (one of them is the doctor)

Formal request for collaboration from the WHO

During the appearance, the minister explained that yesterday afternoon a meeting took place between the technical teams of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, in which it was agreed to send a team of international epidemiologists to review the health situation of the ship in Cape Verde.

Subsequently, the WHO stated that Cape Verde does not currently have the necessary capabilities to independently carry out all the epidemiological, environmental and public health assessments required to manage a health incident of this nature.

In light of this situation, the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, formally requested the collaboration of the Spanish State to facilitate the arrival of the MV Hondius and to carry out the necessary health actions under international coordination.

The minister stressed that Spain's actions respond both to humanitarian principles and to international legal obligations derived from the WHO's International Health Regulations, of which Spain is a State Party.

In this regard, he recalled that Articles 13 and 44 of the Regulation establish the duty of technical and logistical cooperation between countries in the face of international health emergencies, while Articles 27 and 28 expressly regulate the management of infection situations on board international means of transport.
He also pointed out that these treaties are part of the Spanish legal system and are fully binding on public administrations.

Development of the health operation

Mónica García explained that the designed operation clearly distinguishes between symptomatic cases and passengers considered close contacts without symptoms.
Active or symptomatic cases will not travel to the Canary Islands. They will be evacuated directly from Cape Verde via medical aircraft to high-isolation hospital units to receive specialized care.

Meanwhile, those continuing their journey to the Canary Islands are close contacts or passengers without symptoms, whose arrival is expected within an estimated period of between 72 and 96 hours.

The disembarkation will be carried out through controlled health circuits, with direct transfer from the port to the airport and subsequent return to their countries of origin, avoiding at all times transit through spaces open to the general population.

Regarding the Spanish citizens on board, the Ministry is currently verifying whether they maintain their habitual residence in Spain. In those cases where this is the case, their evacuation will be carried out through an operation coordinated by the Ministry of Defense, and they will be transferred to the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital in Madrid, where they will undergo the corresponding quarantine under medical supervision.

In case of the appearance of symptoms, the National Health System will activate the state UATAN network to guarantee immediate and safe care.

The minister wanted to convey a message of reassurance to the public, insisting that the risk to the general population remains very low.

Although hantavirus can have a high mortality rate in certain severe clinical forms, especially respiratory ones, the Ministry has explained that the specific context of the outbreak —a ship with close and prolonged cohabitation— much favors the possible interpersonal transmission.

International health authorities have also identified the variant involved as Andean hantavirus, one of the few variants in which human-to-human transmission has been documented. However, both the WHO and the ECDC agree that this type of transmission remains extremely rare and requires very close and prolonged contact, generally with symptomatic individuals.

https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/gabinete/notasPrensa.do?id=6901

[Toaster2]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/hantav...ench-national/

I do not know how trustworthy this source is, but it would surely be a red flag if true

The following link only states that the person was identified as close contact on the flight:

https://m.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/06/05/2026/french-citizen-was-on-same-plane-as-hantavirus-case-ministry

[sharon sanders]

There is no new press release from the Swiss government that describes someone from the same plane as a cruise ship passenger. https://www.bag.admin.ch/de

[sharon sanders]

I also do not see anything on the French Health site either. https://sante.gouv.fr/actualites-pre...ues-de-presse/ - or their X account https://x.com/Sante_Gouv

[QuadrupleM]

I saw an article in Newsweek (not so reputable anymore and they used The Sun as their source) where they mention a patient who has not been on cruise ship who tested positive in France. https://www.newsweek.com/hantavirus-...spain-11917553

[Shiloh]

Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167449

Hantavirus outbreak: Another passenger contracts disease
By Daniel Johnson in Geneva
6 May 2026 Health

It’s been confirmed that another passenger from the cruise liner linked to the outbreak of hantavirus has contracted the disease, which has claimed the lives of three people on board and sparked an international alert coordinated by the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

The individual, who is male, had been travelling on the Dutch-flagged vessel, the Hondius, at the centre of the outbreak.

He is being treated in a Zurich hospital after returning to Switzerland and responding to an email from the ship’s operator.
Tweet URL

“In line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited,” the agency said in a post on X.

As of Wednesday, three of the ship’s 147 passengers have died since it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina, to its current berth off the coast of Cabo Verde, according to the WHO.

On X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that three passengers “have just been evacuated” from the ship and were en route to the Netherlands for treatment.

“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low,” Tedros stressed.
Expedition ship

Publicly available data indicates that the vessel was built in Croatia and launched in June 2018. The Hondius is around 108 metres long and is listed under ship identification number 9818709 with the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The vessel has capacity for 196 passengers and 72 crew; it is named after the 17th century map publisher and engraver Jodocus Hondius.

The expedition ship’s maiden voyage in 2019 took it from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to the volcanic island of Jan Mayen and Spitzbergen in the Arctic Circle.

The UN agency said that the victims may have been infected with the disease prior to boarding. It has reported eight cases of infection so far, including three confirmed as Andes hantavirus by laboratory testing.

On Tuesday, the WHO said that one individual was in intensive care in South Africa, although their condition was “improving”.

Work to identify the virus has involved the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). The Pasteur Institute in Dakar and Argentina’s National Administration of Health Laboratories and Institutes also provided further “critical” support, WHO noted.
Patient care is ‘highest priority’

“WHO will continue to work with countries to ensure that the patients, contacts, passengers and crew have the information and support they need to stay safe and prevent spread,” the agency said.

At a press conference on Tuesday, WHO said that the “highest priority” was to evacuate the two ill passengers still on board “to make sure that they have the care that they receive”.

Once the ship reaches the Canary Islands, the agency’s Dr Maria Van Kerkhove explained that the Spanish authorities would carry out a full epidemiological investigation and full disinfection of the ship, before assessing the risk passengers remaining on board.

“We have heard from quite a few people, you know, on the boat. We just want you to know we are working with the ship's operators. We are working with the countries where you are from. We hear you. We know that you are scared.” said Dr. Van Kerkhove, WHO Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.

As a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out.

[Michael Coston]

ECDC: Threat Assessment Brief On Hantavirus Cluster on a Cruise Ship




#19,145



With the caveat that it is still early days, we've a Threat Assessment Brief this afternoon from the ECDC on the ongoing outbreak aboard the m/v Hondius which is currently enroute to the Canary Islands.

As we've seen often in the past, assumptions and recommendations about exotic or novel disease outbreaks are subject to change as more data is gathered, so stay tuned.

Due to its length, I've only posted the summary below. Follow the link to read it in its entirety.

Hantavirus-associated cluster of illness on a cruise ship: ECDC assessment and recommendations

Assessment
6 May 2026

This is a rapidly evolving incident, and this document contains a preliminary assessment and recommendations. ECDC will provide updates as information becomes available.

As of 6 May 2026, seven cases have been reported in a hantavirus-associated cluster of illness on a cruise ship, including three deaths, one critically ill, two symptomatic and one with unknown status.

Epidemiological situation

ECDC was notified on 2 May 2026 by the Netherlands via the European Union (EU) Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) about a cluster of unknown disease with severe respiratory symptoms on a cruise ship in the South Atlantic, operating under a Dutch flag. There were 149 people on board from 23 different nationalities, including nine EU/EEA Member States: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. At the time, two people had died and one had been medically evacuated to South Africa, where the person remained critically ill. A PCR test result for a sample taken from this person came back positive for hantavirus on 3 May 2026.

As of 6 May, a total of seven people had presented with symptoms that included fever, respiratory symptoms, and gastrointestinal symptoms, with at least four rapidly progressing to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress and shock. Of these seven people, three died, one was medically evacuated to South Africa and admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), two remained symptomatic on board, requiring medical assistance, and one was diagnosed after disembarking the ship and returning to Switzerland. In total, samples from two patients tested positive for hantavirus by PCR; a sample from one additional patient tested positive for Andes virus (ANDV) by PCR. Further laboratory investigations are ongoing.

Orthohantavirus infections are viral zoonotic diseases transmitted to humans primarily through the inhalation of aerosols contaminated with the urine, faeces or saliva of infected rodents. Human disease can be caused by several orthohantavirus species, including the Andes (ANDV) and Sin Nombre (SNV) viruses in the Americas and Puumala and Dobrava viruses in Europe. The incubation time is usually around two weeks but ranges from seven days up to six weeks.

Clinical manifestation of hantavirus infection is divided in two clinical syndromes: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), seen in the Americas; and Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) seen in Europe and Asia. Severe cases can rapidly deteriorate and become life-threatening. ANDV is a hantavirus primarily found in South America that causes HPS with a high fatality rate. Human-to-human transmission is rare but has been documented in the case of ANDV. No effective antiviral treatment is available; supportive care is key for a better chance of survival.

ECDC provides this risk assessment for discussion at the level of the Health Security Committee including the involved countries, UK HSA and the WHO.

Risk assessment

Person-to-person transmission of ANDV has only been documented following close and prolonged contact. The current hypothesis is that some passengers were exposed to ANDV while spending time in Argentina before embarking, where ANDV is endemic, and may subsequently have transmitted the virus to other passengers onboard the cruise ship. At this early stage of the investigation with limited available information, we consider everyone on the ship to be close contacts, due to the closed setting and shared social areas and activities, aligned with the precautionary principle.

Measures are already implemented on board to reduce the likelihood of infection for passengers and crew on the cruise ship. The cruise ship company and the relevant port authorities have also been advised on how to prepare for the management of cases and contacts (e.g. isolation of cases, use of appropriate personal protective equipment, testing, etc).

Even if transmission of ANDV were to happen from passengers evacuated from the ship, ANDV does not transmit easily so it is unlikely that it would cause many cases or a widespread outbreak in the community, if infection prevention and control measures are applied.

In addition, the natural reservoir for ANDV is not present in Europe, so introduction to the rodent population and potential rodent-to-human transmission in Europe is not expected.

The risk to the general population in the EU/EEA from ANDV spreading from this cruise ship outbreak is very low.
Recommendations

• Symptomatic people should be managed proactively and medically evacuated as soon as possible.
• Upon disembarking, diagnostic testing should be carried out by serology or PCR in people with symptoms. However, negative test results may not exclude infection and subsequent virus shedding. The EURL-PH-ERZV offers diagnostic services to EU/EEA countries lacking capability to diagnose ANDV infection.
• Passengers and crew should practice usual enhanced precautions (e.g. frequent handwashing, respiratory etiquette, physical distancing) and vigilant symptom monitoring while on the cruise ship.
• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance for healthcare settings who are caring for symptomatic individuals include standard and droplet precautions, which can be escalated to airborne precautions in the event that aerosol-generating procedures are performed.
• Risk communication should be tailored to the different target groups recognising their different levels of risk, information needs and responsibilities. Communication should clearly state what is known, what is unknown, and what may change as investigations progress with timely updates.
• Disembarking passengers should be provided with clear instructions and recommendations until their diagnosis is confirmed or ruled out.

ECDC actions

• Epidemiological updates.
• Hantavirus infection factsheet published.
• European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL-PH-ERZV) offered assistance to EU/EEA national reference laboratories for the diagnosis of ANDV.
• ECDC is supporting the response operations through the EUHTF remotely and on the cruise ship in coordination with the affected countries.
• Ongoing collaboration with partners and affected countries on common case definitions and protocol for management of cases and contacts.

Hantavirus-associated cluster of illness on a cruise ship: ECDC assessment and recommendations
English (403.61 KB - PDF)

https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/05/ecdc-threat-assessment-brief-on.html

[Commonground]

Translated

Netherlands
Blog Post | 06-05-2026 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Today, two sick passengers and one potentially infected passenger were medically evacuated via two evacuation flights from the Dutch cruise ship M/V *Hondius*, which is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde.

The individuals involved are a British national (56), a Dutch national (41), and a German national (65). Upon arrival, they will be transferred immediately to specialized hospitals in Europe.

Medical evacuation of passengers
As the ship sails under the Dutch flag, the Netherlands—through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—is coordinating assistance for those on board. The Ministry is in close contact regarding this matter with the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the shipping company, and authorities in Cape Verde and other involved countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitated the evacuation in cooperation with the Dutch embassies in the region.

Current situation on the M/V *Hondius*
The M/V *Hondius* was en route from Argentina to Cape Verde with approximately 150 people from various countries on board. Several people have fallen ill. Two Dutch nationals have passed away; in one of these cases, the Hantavirus was confirmed. The Hantavirus was also detected in another person on board, who is currently in the ICU in Johannesburg. On May 2, a passenger died while on board; the cause of death for this individual has not yet been established.

It has now been confirmed that the cases involve the Andes variant of the Hantavirus.

The RIVM is involved in the preventive measures being implemented on board the ship, as well as in the medical evacuation. From the very outset, the possibility that the cases involved the Andes variant was taken into account. Two medical specialists from the Netherlands are en route to Cape Verde. They are providing support on board the ship to ensure optimal medical care during the voyage.

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-buitenlandse-zaken/het-werk-van-bz-in-de-praktijk/weblogs/2026/medische-evacuatie-van-cruiseschip-m-v-hondius

[Pathfinder]

Germany -

Translation Google



May 6, 2026

Hantavirus contact person after cruise ship examined as a precaution at Düsseldorf University Hospital

The Düsseldorf fire department and Düsseldorf University Hospital are jointly handling transport and infectious disease assessment.

Düsseldorf (ukd/tpo). The Düsseldorf Fire Department and the University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD) are jointly handling the transport and precautionary medical assessment of a contact person of a hantavirus case that occurred on a cruise ship. The individual in question will be transported from an airport in the Netherlands to Düsseldorf by specialized emergency personnel from the Düsseldorf Fire Department.

The person in question is explicitly not a confirmed case of infection, but rather a previously asymptomatic contact person who will undergo a precautionary initial clinical assessment and infectious disease examinations at the UKD's infectious disease ward.

The deployment and further medical measures will be carried out in close coordination with the responsible health authorities and the participating medical and rescue service partners.

The Düsseldorf Fire Department has specially trained units, appropriate equipment, and extensive experience in transporting infectious disease patients. Together with the University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD), health authorities, and other partners, relevant scenarios are regularly practiced and continuously refined. The focus is on safe transport procedures, coordinated communication channels, and standardized protective measures.

The University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD) possesses specialized expertise in infectious diseases and many years of experience in handling complex infectious disease issues. It maintains a special isolation ward for the treatment of diseases caused by highly pathogenic agents such as the Ebola virus, although this ward will not be needed in this particular case. Close collaboration between university medicine, emergency medical services, the fire department, and public health authorities is a crucial component of the medical safety and care structures in North Rhine-Westphalia. This interdisciplinary networking across various departments ensures that even rare infectious disease situations can be managed safely and in a coordinated manner.

Such emergency situations require well-established procedures and close cooperation among all partners involved. Fire departments, rescue services, and hospitals regularly train together for such scenarios to be prepared at all times.

The initial medical and infectious disease assessment will take place at the infectious diseases ward of Düsseldorf University Hospital. Further virological laboratory tests are planned, among other things. The person will then be transferred to their home in Germany as soon as possible.

"This is a contact person without confirmed evidence of a hantavirus infection. The admission is purely precautionary for medical evaluation. Such situations fall within the infectious disease care mandate of a university medical center like the UKD," explains Prof. Torsten Feldt, Head of Tropical Medicine at the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases at Düsseldorf University Hospital.

Background: Hantavirus

Hantaviruses are found worldwide and are primarily transmitted by rodents. Humans typically become infected through contact with virus-containing excrement from infected rodents, for example, via stirred-up dust. Human-to-human transmission has also been described for the virus type found in South America, which is suspected to be the cause of the illnesses.

The exact virus type is currently still being investigated. Health authorities such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) currently explicitly assess the risk to the general population in Europe as "very low".

Further information on the hantavirus is available from the Robert Koch Institute at: https://www.rki.de/hantaviren

https://www.uniklinik-duesseldorf.de/ueber-uns/pressemitteilungen/detail/hantavirus-kontaktperson-nach-kreuzfahrt-vorsorglich-in-uniklinik-duesseldorf-untersucht

[Shiloh]

Source: https://lnginnorthernbc.ca/2026/05/0...th-hantavirus/

Contact case: identified French citizen who traveled on the same flight as a woman infected with hantavirus
By AndreaPosted on06.05.2026



A French citizen was identified as a contact case after being on board the same flight as the Dutch woman infected with hantavirus. The French government spokeswoman guarantees that she is closely monitoring the situation.

According to French television which cites the French Ministry of Health, the man was identified among the passengers on the flight and became a contact case.

French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon did not provide further information, only ensuring that “the government, and specifically the Minister of Health” are monitor the situation carefully.

The 69-year-old Dutch woman, whose 70-year-old husband died on board the ship, landed in Saint Helena on April 24 “with gastrointestinal symptoms” and boarded a flight the next day to Johannesburg, South Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The woman died in a hospital on April 26, and her infection with was confirmed on Monday.

On Tuesday, the WHO stated that it is a flight operated by the South African airline Airlink on April 25, with 82 passengers and six crew on board, Karin Murray, director of sales and marketing at Airlink, told France-Presse (AFP)...

[sharon sanders]

I think there will be a lot of contact cases being monitored. This is standard procedure in a disease outbreak. So today there are 2 new contact cases being monitored. One in France and one in Germany (from the ship I think - see posts 65 & 66).

If the France contact case is from a plane then there should be more from that flight. It is called contact tracing and follow-up. Standard.

[Pathfinder]

First hantavirus infection could not have been during cruise: WHO expert

Geneva (AFP) – The first hantavirus case on the MV Hondius could not have been infected during the cruise, a World Health Organization expert told AFP on Wednesday.

Issued on: 06/05/2026 - 21:35

The polar expedition ship left Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1 for a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde, where it arrived on Sunday, with around 150 passengers and crew on board.

The WHO, which was alerted Saturday to a rare but deadly outbreak of hantavirus aboard the Hondius, has determined that the first of three people to die must have been infected before boarding the ship.

Out of eight confirmed and suspected hantavirus cases, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger was the first to fall ill.

He began showing symptoms including fever, headache and mild diarrhoea on April 6, and developed respiratory distress on April 11, dying on board the same day, the WHO said.

"The incubation period -- the time between infection and the onset of symptoms -- is between one and six weeks", but it is typically "more like two to three weeks", Anais Legand, a technical expert on viral haemorrhagic fevers at the WHO, told AFP.

So the first case "could not have been infected on the ship, or on one of the islands" it called at on the way towards Cape Verde.

The man "very clearly had exposure before boarding the ship", an exposure "certainly linked to a rodent", she said.
...

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260506-first-hantavirus-infection-could-not-have-been-during-cruise-who-expert

[Michael Coston]

UKHSA Update On Hantavirus: 2 Nonsymptomatic Passengers Self-Isolating at Home




#19,146

The UK's Health Security Agency has published an update this afternoon on the current status of British nationals aboard the m/v Honidius, which also includes details on two passengers who apparently already left the ship, and - while showing no symptoms - are self-isolating at home.

Given the large number of people who have been exposed aboard ship - and an unknown number of contacts offship - the use of home self-isolation (with daily phone check ins) would seem a reasonable precaution; at least until we get a better handle on the infectivity of this strain.

Whether other jurisdictions will adopt similar measures remains to be seen. The 2-8 week incubation period of the Andes Virus - and its early flu-like presentation - is likely to present public health agencies around the globe with a formidable challenge over the weeks ahead.

UKHSA update on the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak

Latest information on cases including British nationals.
From:UK Health Security Agency Published 6 May 2026




The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continues to work with the World Health Organization (WHO), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and other international partners to prepare for the arrival of British nationals to the UK from the MV Hondius cruise ship where an outbreak of Hantavirus was confirmed.

Three people, including one British national, with suspected hantavirus have been evacuated from the Hondius in order to receive medical care in the Netherlands in co-ordination between the Cape Verde, UK and Dutch governments. UKHSA are in close contact with medical teams providing their care.

The remaining British nationals can now be repatriated once the ship docks at its next destination if they do not develop symptoms. None of the British citizens onboard are currently reporting symptoms but they are being closely monitored. The FCDO is making arrangements for these individuals to return to the UK, where UKHSA is working with government to support them to isolate with regular testing and contact with healthcare professionals.

UKHSA is aware of two people who have returned to the UK independently having been on board the MV Hondius. Neither of these individuals is currently reporting symptoms. They are receiving advice and support from UKHSA and have been advised to self-isolate. UKHSA are supporting a small number of individuals identified as close contacts of those on the boat. They are being offered support and are also self-isolating. None are reporting any symptoms. The risk to the general public remains very low.

Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director for Epidemic and Emerging Infections at UKHSA said:

• Our thoughts are with all those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius.

• It’s important to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains very low. We are standing up arrangements to support, isolate and monitor British nationals from the ship on their return to the UK and we are contact tracing anyone who may have been in contact with the ship or the hantavirus cases to limit the risk of onward transmission.

• UKHSA will continue to work closely with government partners to offer all necessary support.

UKHSA is working closely with the FCDO, the Home Office, and Border Force to trace further individuals who may have been on the same flight as a confirmed case, in order to carry out public health risk assessments and ensure appropriate precautionary measures are in place.

Hantavirus is the name given to a group of viruses carried by rodents and transmitted by their droppings and urine. They can cause a range of diseases from mild, flu-like illness to severe respiratory illness. Infections in humans are rare and tend to occur in places where people and rodents coexist - most commonly in rural, agricultural settings, though the viruses can also sometimes be found in cleaning sheds, barns and holiday homes where rodents might have nested.

Most hantaviruses do not spread easily between humans, although person-to-person transmission has been observed in some cases involving particular strains. The World Health Organization is leading the international response to this incident and overseeing direction of the ship, including advising on how to minimise the risk of the disease spreading.

The FCDO is in direct contact with the ship and has stood up consular teams across multiple countries to support British nationals. UK government is working extremely closely with international partners in response to this incident, including the cruise ship operator and the governments of overseas territories which were visited by the ship.

Further information on Hantavirus can be found in the recent blog from UKHSA.


,

https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/...tavirus-2.html

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-b2971732.html

British doctor airlifted from hantavirus-hit cruise ship as cases rise onboard
Eight suspected cases of hantavirus have now been linked to the luxury cruise ship
Harriette Boucher
Wednesday 06 May 2026 20:49 BST

Three patients, including a British doctor, were airlifted from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship to receive specialist medical care on Wednesday.

A total of eight suspected cases of the deadly disease have now been linked to the MV Hondius, with five of those cases now confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

There have been three deaths among passengers aboard the luxury cruise ship, which is currently sitting off Cape Verde as it prepares to sail to Spain’s Canary Islands.


...Two of the people evacuated on Wednesday were crew members, including the ship’s 56-year-old British doctor, who authorities say is no longer in critical condition.

A 41-year-old Dutch national and a 65-year-old German national were also evacuated and will be transferred to specialist hospitals in Europe.

The cruise ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said two of those patients were ill, while the third had no symptoms but was “closely associated” with a German passenger who died last Saturday...

[sharon sanders]

From:
"Media (CDC)" <sohco@CDC.GOV>
To: <MMWR-MEDIA@LISTSERV.CDC.GOV>
Subject: Statement on the M/V Hondius Cruise Ship
Date: May 6, 2026 8:56 PM



Media Statement


For Immediate Release


Wednesday, May 6, 2026


Contact: CDC Media Relations

(404) 639-3286



Statement on the M/V Hondius Cruise Ship



The Administration is closely monitoring the situation with U.S. travelers onboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship with confirmed hantavirus. Our top priority remains the health and safety of all U.S. passengers. The Department of State is leading a coordinated, whole-of-government response including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic coordination, and engagement with domestic and international health authorities.

As the world's leader in global health security, the US government is using our premier health experts to guide our response to this evolving situation. We are working closely with our international partners to provide technical assistance and guidance to mitigate risk.

At this time, the risk to the American public is extremely low. We urge all Americans aboard the ship to follow the guidance of health officials as we work to bring you home safely.

Further information is available at: About Hantavirus | Hantavirus | CDC

[sharon sanders]

from X -

[Commonground]

World Health Organization (WHO) reposted

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
@DrTedros
·
1h
I am hosting a media briefing on #hantavirus today at 15:00h CEST. You can join and watch via
@WHO and my social media channels across X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

https://x.com/DrTedros/status/2052296742259835346/photo/1

[Toaster2]

A KLM stewardess of the flight from Johannesburg to (Amsterdam ?) where the Dutch patient was in, before being refused to fly and disembarking at Johannesburg again is in isolation in the hospital after possible contamination

KLM-stewardess in isolatie in ziekenhuis na mogelijke besmetting met hantavirus | Nieuws | AD.nl