Hantavirus Outbreak from Cruise Ship Sparks International Search
Authorities are in a rush to track down nearly 40 passengers who may have been exposed to a dangerous hantavirus outbreak and have spread across multiple countries after leaving a cruise ship without proper contact tracing.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, reported that 29 passengers disembarked on April 24, just after the first passenger fatality. However, Dutch authorities estimate the number could be closer to 40.
The affected passengers hail from over a dozen nationalities, returning to their home countries throughout Europe and Africa. This has created a complicated international search operation. Interestingly, two of the passengers’ nationalities remain unknown.
Health officials confirmed that at least one passenger—a man who returned to Switzerland—tested positive for the Andean strain of hantavirus. This strain is rare and can be transmitted through close contact.
The outbreak has already taken the lives of at least three individuals, leaving several more unwell as the virus spread among passengers. A Dutch man died on April 11, and his remains were transferred to St. Helena Island in the South Atlantic. His wife, who also disembarked there, later collapsed and died at Johannesburg airport after arriving in South Africa.
Argentine officials hinted that the couple might have contracted the virus after exposure to rodents during a bird-watching tour in Ushuaia, possibly while visiting a landfill before boarding the cruise.
Hantaviruses are typically transmitted by inhaling contaminated rodent feces. While the World Health Organization acknowledges that human-to-human transmission is rare, it is not unheard of.
Following the Dutch man’s death, additional evacuations took place. A British man was airlifted from Ascension Island to South Africa, along with three others, including the ship’s doctor, who were transported to Europe for medical treatment after the ship drifted near Cape Verde.
With passengers now scattered across various continents and travel records being limited, authorities in South Africa and across Europe are urgently trying to piece together travel routes and identify anyone who might have been infected.
