Three passengers have died and a 69-year-old British national remains in critical condition in a Johannesburg hospital after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a small cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, with the World Health Organisation now involved and passengers confined to the vessel as authorities negotiate next steps.
The MV Hondius, a 107.6-metre polar cruise ship operated by Dutch tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde with 149 people on board, including passengers, crew, guides, and one doctor. The ship departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina approximately three weeks ago before completing its journey toward Cape Verde.
The first death occurred on 11 April when a passenger became unwell on board and died. His cause of death could not be determined and his body was removed from the ship after it docked at St Helena on 24 April. His wife also disembarked at St Helena and later died during her return journey home. Oceanwide Expeditions said it has not been confirmed that these two deaths are connected to the current medical situation on board. On 27 April, the British national became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa, where hantavirus was subsequently confirmed. A third passenger, a German national, died on Saturday. The cause of that death has also not yet been established.
Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, have since developed acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe, both requiring urgent medical care. Hantavirus has not been confirmed in either crew member. No other symptomatic individuals have been identified on board.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted to humans from rodents through their faeces, saliva, or urine. It can cause severe respiratory illness and is rarely transmitted between people. The confirmed variant found in the British patient has raised questions about how the virus spread on board, given that the ship’s operators say there are no rodents aboard. One passenger, speaking anonymously to the BBC, noted the mystery. “If they are all hantavirus then the transmission is a bit mysterious. We’ve been informed that there are no rodents on board, and person-to-person transmission is difficult and rare. Hopefully the other patients on board will be tested soon and then we’ll know better what’s going on.”
South Africa’s Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed the British patient is receiving symptomatic treatment and support at a private facility in Johannesburg. “Hantavirus, like all viruses, don’t have any specific treatment, so they are giving symptomatic treatment and support as much as they could,” he said. Health workers and others who had contact with the patient are being traced and tested.
Cape Verde’s authorities have refused to allow passengers to disembark in order to protect the local population, and the ship is now considering sailing to Las Palmas or Tenerife in the Canary Islands as an alternative gateway for disembarkation and medical screening. A passenger on board told the BBC a plane was on its way to evacuate three people directly to Europe, with the remainder of passengers expected to sail to the Canaries.
The WHO said it was “acting with urgency” and emphasised that the risk to the wider public remains low. WHO regional director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P Kluge said hantavirus is not easily transmitted between people and urged calm. “There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,” he said. Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles raised a longer-term concern about the virus’s incubation period, which can range from one to eight weeks. “Are we going to see more people coming down with the disease in the next days and weeks?” she told the BBC.
Strict precautionary measures are in place on board, including isolation protocols, enhanced hygiene procedures, and continuous medical monitoring. The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with the British patient’s family and that consular teams across the UK, South Africa, Spain, and Portugal are supporting British nationals involved.
Hantavirus gained wider public attention last year after the wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman died from a respiratory illness linked to the virus in March 2025.
