Contact tracing underway after hantavirus cases linked to MV Hondius
At least three passengers died and others became ill during the ship’s Atlantic crossing, while health authorities said the broader public risk remained low.
Health agencies in several countries were tracing contacts following a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to MV Hondius. The World Health Organization said the virus does not spread easily between people and assessed the risk to the wider public as low.
Three people were evacuated from the ship on May 6 and flown to specialist hospitals in Europe. Two subsequently tested positive for hantavirus. Swiss authorities reported another positive result the same day involving a man who had left the cruise earlier in St. Helena, raising the number of confirmed cases to five. Agencies in South Africa and Switzerland said testing indicated Andes virus.
Among those who died was a 70-year-old Dutch passenger who developed breathing difficulties and died aboard the ship on April 11. The cruise company said his cause of death could not be established at the time.
His wife died in South Africa on April 26 after collapsing at an airport while attempting to continue her journey home. Officials received her posthumous positive hantavirus test on May 4. Overall, at least three passengers died and others became ill during the Atlantic crossing.