International health effort underway to track passengers from deadly hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius cruise ship

Health officials in at least a dozen countries are tracking dozens of passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship following a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people—a Dutch couple and a German national—and infected at least five confirmed and three suspected cases. The luxury cruise departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 with 114 guests for a birdwatching expedition to Cape Verde, later adding six more passengers at Tristan da Cunha. Twenty-nine passengers disembarked on St. Helena on April 24 without contact tracing, including six Americans, while others dispersed to five U.S. states and multiple countries. The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can spread person-to-person through close contact, though WHO and CDC assess the public health risk as low and emphasize this is not a pandemic threat. The ship is heading to the Canary Islands for evacuations while almost 150 people remain confined to their cabins, and the U.S. is sending an aircraft to retrieve 17 American passengers.

International tracking effort for dispersed cruise passengers

• ▪29 passengers from the MV Hondius disembarked on the remote Atlantic island St. Helena on April 24 without undergoing contact tracing
• ▪Oceanwide Expeditions said six Americans were among those who disembarked on St. Helena on April 24
• ▪The passengers who left the MV Hondius comprise 12 nationalities, though the home countries of two people are unknown
• ▪The U.S. will send an aircraft to pick up the 17 American passengers still aboard the MV Hondius

Outbreak timeline and ship status

• ▪A British man from the MV Hondius is being treated in hospital in South Africa
• ▪114 guests were aboard the MV Hondius on April 1 following departure from Ushuaia, Argentina
• ▪Almost 150 people are still on board the MV Hondius and are being asked to stay in their cabins
• ▪The MV Hondius was expected to arrive at the Canary Islands on Sunday with evacuations beginning Monday
• ▪On April 15, six additional guests joined the MV Hondius at Tristan da Cunha, bringing the total to 120 passengers
• ▪The MV Hondius is heading north from Cape Verde to the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands
• ▪One passenger on the MV Hondius was deceased by April 15 and is included in the count of 120 total passengers
• ▪The journey from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands is expected to last three to four days

Hantavirus transmission risks and public health assessment

• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the American public from the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak is extremely low
• ▪Argentinian authorities will conduct 2,500 diagnostic tests to identify the origin of the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak
• ▪There were 890 confirmed hantavirus cases in the U.S. between 1993 and 2023 according to CDC data
• ▪The Andes strain of hantavirus is not as easily transmitted as airborne diseases such as influenza or COVID-19