Two cases of hantavirus infection among passengers on a cruise ship off the coast of Cape Verde have been laboratory confirmed, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. According to her, the infection is suspected in five other cases, including three people who have died in the meantime, TASR informs, according to a report by the AFP agency.
- Off the coast of Cape Verde, laboratories have confirmed two cases of hantavirus among ship passengers.
- Two passengers died on the MV Hondius and the third died after leaving it.
“As of May 4, 2026, seven cases (two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus cases and five suspected cases) have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three persons reporting mild symptoms,” the WHO said in a statement, adding that three of the affected people are no longer on the ship and four remain on board.
Deaths on board ship
The company Oceanwide Expeditions, as the operator of the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, confirmed the death of three passengers on Monday. The vessel was heading from the Argentinian city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego to the Cape Verde archipelago off the West African coast. Two people died on board and one after leaving it.
According to the operator, strict preventive measures are in place on the ship and people with symptoms are isolated.
Searching for contacts
The WHO added on Tuesday that it was trying to trace people from the flight between the island of Saint Helena and Johannesburg, South Africa, which was also used by a cruise ship passenger who later died of hantavirus.
This Dutch woman, whose husband had already died of the virus on a ship stranded near Cape Verde, disembarked on the island of St. Helena on April 24 with “gastrointestinal symptoms.” Her condition “deteriorated during the flight to Johannesburg” and she died on April 26, the WHO said. “Checking the contacts of the passengers on board the aircraft has been started,” the organization said.
WHO assesses the risk as low
“Based on current information, WHO assesses the risk to the global population as low and will continue to monitor and update the situation. WHO is working with the countries involved and the ship’s operator to support passengers and crew. The coordinated international response includes in-depth investigation, isolation and care of cases, medical evacuation and laboratory tests,” wrote the organization’s president Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the X platform.
Method of transmission of the infection
Humans can become infected with hantavirus through contact with rodents such as rats and mice, especially their urine, droppings and saliva. It can also be spread by their bites or scratches, but this is rare.
Hantaviruses cause serious infectious diseases such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal (kidney) syndrome (HFRS).
