Expedition Cruise Ship MV Hondius Anchored off Cape Verde After Three Deaths in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak

The Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is anchored off Praia, Cape Verde, after being refused entry to port following a suspected hantavirus outbreak on board that has resulted in three deaths and at least four further cases.

Seven cases have been identified in total — two laboratory-confirmed and five suspected. A 70-year-old Dutch passenger died at Saint Helena on April 11. His 69-year-old wife subsequently died in South Africa. A German national died aboard the vessel on May 2. A British passenger with a confirmed positive hantavirus test is in critical condition at a private clinic in Johannesburg. Two crew members with acute respiratory symptoms remain aboard.

MV Hondius has 149 people on board, including 17 American and 4 Canadian nationals. The vessel was refused port entry at Praia following the outbreak. The World Health Organization is coordinating a medical evacuation of the two symptomatic crew members currently aboard.

Hantavirus is a severe respiratory illness transmitted primarily through contact with infected rodents or their droppings. Person-to-person transmission is not considered a significant route of infection under normal circumstances, though the source of the outbreak aboard MV Hondius has not been publicly confirmed.

Investigations are ongoing under WHO coordination and relevant national health authorities.