Just as much of the world has begun to move past the era of widespread masking and pandemic restrictions, a new health concern has emerged at sea: hantavirus.
Between April 11 and May 2, 2026, three passengers aboard the Dutch-flagged luxury cruise ship MV Hondius died after contracting the Andes strain of hantavirus. As of May 8, five confirmed and three suspected cases have been reported among individuals connected to the voyage.
According to the World Health Organization, hantaviruses are a family of rare viruses typically transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. Symptoms often include severe respiratory distress, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The strain involved in this outbreak, the Andes virus, is the only hantavirus known to spread from person to person, though transmission requires prolonged close contact. Health officials emphasized that the virus does not spread like COVID-19 and is not expected to cause a global pandemic.
The virus is believed to have first appeared aboard the Hondius, which departed in early April with roughly 150 passengers and crew. Among them was a Dutch couple in their late 60s and early 70s who had recently completed a bird watching trip though Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. According to the CDC, these are hotspots for the rodent species carrying the Andes virus. On April 6, the 70-year-old man developed respiratory symptoms and died aboard the ship on April 11. Testing was not conducted as the man’s illness resembled that of pneumonia.
On April 24, the ship docked at Saint Helena, where 30 passengers disembarked, including the man’s 69-year-old wife. During a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg, her condition deteriorated, and she died on April 26 in South Africa. Her blood test tested positive for the Andes virus.
Other cases soon followed. A British passenger developed severe respiratory symptoms on April 24 and was medically evacuated and tested positive. Similarly, a German woman aboard the ship developed a fever and died on May 2 after contracting pneumonia. On May 6, three additional individuals were evacuated to the Netherlands for medical evaluation.
The passengers who disembarked earlier in the voyage have since tested positive or entered isolation. Health officials have allowed some passengers to return to their home countries but have launched extensive international contact tracing operations. The World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating with at least a dozen nations to identify, test, and isolate anyone who may have been exposed to the Andes virus. Airlines have provided passenger manifests, and several countries have placed exposed individuals under monitoring or quarantine. Officials say the virus’ long incubation period means additional cases may still emerge.
The Hondius is currently en route to the Canary Islands, where it will anchor offshore before passengers are transferred to Tenerife for evacuation flights. Global health agencies continue to track the situation closely as investigative and preventive measures remain underway.
