A cruise ship operating in the South Atlantic has become the center of a hantavirus outbreak resulting in three confirmed deaths and eight total recorded cases, according to the World Health Organization. Three patients were evacuated from the vessel on Wednesday in Cape Verde—two confirmed hantavirus cases and one suspected infection—with two of the evacuees arriving in Amsterdam and subsequently transferred to hospitals in Germany and the Netherlands. The ship then departed with approximately 150 remaining passengers and crew members isolated in their cabins, heading toward Spain’s Canary Islands for a journey expected to take three or four days.
The outbreak is believed to have originated when a Dutch couple contracted the Andes virus, a South American hantavirus species, while bird-watching in Ushuaia, Argentina before boarding the vessel on April 1. Argentine officials indicated the couple may have been exposed to rodents during a landfill visit as part of their tour. The ship subsequently traveled to Antarctica and several remote Atlantic islands including South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, and Ascension Island. Of the eight recorded cases, five have been confirmed through laboratory testing.
Health authorities across multiple continents are conducting contact tracing efforts. South African officials have traced 42 of 62 individuals believed to have had contact with infected passengers who traveled there, with all testing negative so far. British authorities report two earlier passengers are self-isolating but remain asymptomatic, and Switzerland confirmed a former passenger being treated in Zurich. The World Health Organization emphasized the public risk is low, noting that while hantavirus typically spreads through inhaling contaminated rodent droppings, person-to-person transmission is rare and occurs only through close contact. The agency stated this represents a serious infectious disease but is not comparable to COVID-19.
Spain’s health ministry stated the ship’s arrival in the Canary Islands poses no public risk, though regional leadership expressed concerns. Two infectious diseases experts from the Netherlands are joining the ship to provide medical support. The WHO noted there is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus, though early medical intervention can improve survival outcomes for those developing severe acute respiratory distress. The incubation period can extend from one to six weeks or longer.
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