Continuous monitoring of the 2026 MV Hondius cluster alongside endemic transmission across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Figures aggregated from public health authorities and refreshed automatically.
MV Hondius anchored off Praia, Cape Verde. Seven cases logged (two PCR-confirmed, five suspected) with three confirmed fatalities. Three patients — including the ship's physician — have been evacuated to the Netherlands. WHO is tracing more than 80 passengers from a connecting Johannesburg flight, with possible Andes-virus human-to-human transmission under investigation. The Director-General's standing assessment: overall public health risk remains low.
The MV Hondius cluster remains the highest-priority signal in the global hantavirus picture for 2026. The vessel sailed from Ushuaia on April 1 with 147 people aboard, completing a remote South Atlantic and Antarctic itinerary before symptoms began surfacing in early April.
Two of the seven recorded cases have been PCR-confirmed. The remaining five are clinically suspected pending laboratory work being carried out at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg. The Andes-virus hypothesis — the only hantavirus capable of limited person-to-person spread — is being treated as the working assumption while serology and sequencing continue.
Outside the cluster, endemic transmission patterns are unchanged. Argentina logged 28 fatalities across 2025; the United States continues to report fewer than a hundred HPS cases per year; and Eurasian HFRS volumes remain in the tens of thousands annually, concentrated in China.
| Region | Scale | Data | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| MV Hondius | 7 cases | ● Active | |
| Argentina | 28 deaths · 2025 | Watch | |
| South Africa | 1 critical | Watch | |
| United States | <1,000 total | Endemic | |
| Europe | ~1k / yr | Endemic | |
| China · Asia | ~10k / yr | Endemic |
Three patients including the ship's physician are being repatriated. The British national in ICU is reported as improving. WHO contact tracing across the Cape Town–Amsterdam connection continues.
● NowA German passenger dies on board. The ship anchors off Praia, Cape Verde, awaiting clearance to proceed.
DeathNICD South Africa confirms hantavirus by PCR. A British national is admitted to ICU in Johannesburg.
ConfirmedA close contact of the index case collapses on an Airlink flight and later dies. WHO begins tracing 82 passengers and 6 crew.
Death + TracingA Dutch national identified as the index case dies. Remains are held in Saint Helena pending repatriation.
Death147 passengers and crew set out on an Antarctic and South Atlantic wildlife expedition.
DepartureGenerally no. Most hantaviruses spread to humans only from contact with infected rodents — their droppings, urine, or saliva. The notable exception is Andes virus, the strain suspected here, which is the only hantavirus documented to transmit (rarely, and only in close prolonged contacts) between people. That is the reason WHO is watching the MV Hondius cluster so attentively.
No. WHO assesses overall global public health risk as low. If you weren't aboard MV Hondius and weren't in close contact with a confirmed case, your personal risk is essentially zero. The cluster is contained to people who shared a confined environment, and there's no evidence of community spread.
No vaccine and no specific antiviral are available in Europe or the Americas. Care is supportive — supplemental oxygen, careful fluid management, and mechanical ventilation in severe cases. Survival depends heavily on getting to hospital early. China has a licensed hantavirus vaccine but it isn't distributed in Western markets.
The exact source has not been established. The vessel visited extremely remote islands across the South Atlantic — Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha and Saint Helena — all of which carry rodent populations. The Dutch couple identified as the index cases had also travelled in Argentina before boarding, where Andes virus circulates. Serology, full-genome sequencing and metagenomic work are ongoing at NICD South Africa.
Onset is roughly 1 to 8 weeks after exposure and looks like flu — fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, chills, sometimes nausea or diarrhoea. The dangerous turn happens four to ten days later when the lungs rapidly fill with fluid. Anyone developing breathing difficulty after a possible rodent exposure should seek emergency care immediately and mention the exposure history.
Yes. No travel restrictions are in force for any destination tied to this cluster. Hantavirus is endemic in rural Argentina and Chile, so visitors to those areas should avoid contact with rodents and rodent habitats. Standard precautions: don't handle wild rodents, avoid sleeping in infested areas, and seal food when camping.
HPS in the Americas carries a fatality rate of roughly 36 to 50% — far above seasonal flu (under 0.1%) and on a par with untreated severe sepsis. It is, however, very rare: under a thousand cases have been recorded in the United States since 1993. The Andes-virus strain at the centre of this cluster runs around 35–40%.
MV Hondius is an expedition cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, a Dutch company specialising in polar and remote-wildlife voyages. The ship left Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, 2026 with 147 passengers and crew, bound for a South Atlantic itinerary. It is currently anchored off Praia, Cape Verde, awaiting clearance to head to the Canary Islands.
Andes virus is a hantavirus endemic to Argentina and Chile. It is the only hantavirus known to transmit between humans — and only in close, prolonged contact. Every other hantavirus moves only from rodents to people. If Andes-virus involvement is confirmed in this cluster, contact tracing becomes substantially more important.
The core advice: avoid contact with wild rodents and any droppings, urine or nesting material they leave. When cleaning rodent-affected areas, wear gloves and a mask, and do not sweep dry — that aerosolises particles. Seal food in rodent-proof containers when camping or in rural environments. If fever, muscle aches or breathing difficulty appear after a possible exposure, get to an emergency department and mention the exposure.
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