An outbreak of the rare but highly deadly hantavirus on a cruise ship is causing international alarm, as authorities scramble to trace those who may have been exposed in a bid to curb its spread.
The World Health Organization says that to date, there are eight cases of hantavirus infection linked to the MV Hondius, which is currently en route to the Canary Islands. Three passengers who boarded the Hondius have died, one of whom was confirmed infected.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, has said that the overall public health risk from hantavirus remains low, and officials have dismissed the concern of hantavirus becoming a global pandemic threat like COVID-19.
But investigations continue as the situation grows complex. Nearly 150 passengers and crew members from 23 different nationalities are still on board the ship, with several reportedly disembarking before news of the outbreak emerged. Health authorities also confirmed that the hantavirus involved in the outbreak is the Andes strain, the only known strain transmissible between people and has been linked to infections with higher mortality.
Here are some of the countries linked to the recent hantavirus outbreak.
Argentina
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, a city in southern Argentina, on April 1. One person on board the ship was an Argentine national.
Hantavirus is endemic in Argentina, but infections in the country are on the rise. The Argentine health ministry on Tuesday reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, which is roughly double the caseload recorded over the same period the previous year, per the Associated Press.
While the source of the outbreak hasn’t been determined, the Argentine government has looked into whether the infections stemmed from the country. The AP reported, citing two unidentified investigators, that two of the three deaths, involving a married Dutch couple, may have ties to Ushuaia, with officials speculating that the couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in the city that brought them to a landfill where they could have been exposed.
Cabo Verde
The ship intended to dock at the West African archipelagic nation of Cabo Verde, but local authorities denied it from doing so, and the MV Hondius was anchored off the country’s coast for three days.
Before setting sail for the Canary Islands on May 6, three people on board the Hondius were evacuated to the Netherlands via medical aircraft for screening and treatment.
Germany
As of May 4, there were 8 reported German nationals on the MV Hondius, including one crew member. Among them was a female passenger who passed after falling ill.
An asymptomatic German was evacuated on May 6, and will reportedly be brought to a hospital in Düsseldorf for testing after having contact with the German who died.
The Netherlands
The MV Hondius is a Dutch-flagged ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Wednesday blog post that with the ship sailing under the country’s flag, the Netherlands is coordinating assistance to those on board. According to the operator, 13 people on the ship are Dutch—8 passengers and 5 crew members.
Two Dutch nationals, husband and wife, are among the three reported deaths from the Hondius. The woman, who died in South Africa, tested positive for hantavirus.
On May 5, Dutch health authorities informed the country’s flag carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines that the woman had briefly been on board their aircraft in Johannesburg on April 25, and in response, the airline also informed passengers aboard that Netherlands-bound flight.
Also among the evacuees on May 6 was a 41-year-old Dutch national, who is reportedly a crew member.
The Philippines
MV Hondius’ crew has 38 Filipinos, but a spokesperson and undersecretary for the Philippines’ health department said on May 5 that none are presently ill and that they are in close coordination with the concerned authorities.
South Africa
The Dutch woman who died in South Africa first flew in from St. Helena, a British territory near the country. The WHO said that she deteriorated during her flight to Johannesburg. According to South African media, she collapsed at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. She died in the hospital on April 26.
When she was confirmed infected with hantavirus, South African health officials began contact-tracing efforts. More than 60 people have been identified, and those successfully contacted are being monitored.
Spain
Thirteen passengers and a crew member aboard the MV Hondius are Spanish.
According to the country’s health ministry, the WHO requested that Spain accept the MV Hondius in the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory, in “accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.” The ministry said that the country has “a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are several Spanish citizens.”
MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Canary Islands in three to four days after departing from Cabo Verde, but the President of the Canary Islands has pushed back, saying he will not allow passengers to disembark, citing potential dangers to the local population.
Switzerland
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health announced on May 6 that a man who was on the MV Hondius was infected with the hantavirus and was being treated at the University Hospital Zurich. The patient, who returned to Switzerland after travelling on the cruise ship, tested positive for the Andes strain. His wife, who accompanied him on the trip, has not yet shown any symptoms but is self-isolating as a precaution.
United Kingdom
According to Oceanwide Expeditions on May 4, 19 passengers and four crew members on the ship were from Great Britain.
A British passenger who presented a high fever, shortness of breath, and signs of pneumonia was evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa on April 27, according to the WHO. The passenger was confirmed to have the virus and is in intensive care.
Another British national suspected of an infection, a crew member, was among those evacuated from the ship on May 6.
Two others have been self-isolating after leaving the cruise ship when it made a stop at St. Helena.
United States
Seventeen of the MV Hondius passengers are from the United States.
The New York Times reported that authorities in at least three states—Arizona, Georgia, and California—are monitoring previous passengers of the ship, and none have shown symptoms.
From starting its monitoring in 1993 until 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected 890 cases of hantavirus in the country, of which 35% resulted in deaths.
Other passengers aboard the MV Hondius hail from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Japan, Montenegro, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. All of them are asymptomatic to date, and the Spanish health ministry said that when the ship docks in the Canary Islands, the non-Spanish citizens will be repatriated to their countries.
The post What Countries Are Linked to the Hantavirus Outbreak? appeared first on TIME.
