health
May 6, 2026
Sick passengers evacuated from cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak to be treated in the Netherlands
Three sick crew members from a cruise ship affected by a deadly hantavirus outbreak will be evacuated via Cape Verde to the Netherlands. Photo: AFP
TL;DR
- Three passengers suspected of hantavirus infection have been evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship off Cape Verde to the Netherlands.
- The ship, on a route from Argentina to Cape Verde, has reported three deaths and seven total cases of hantavirus.
- The Andes strain, which is transmissible between humans, has been identified in passengers treated in South Africa and Switzerland.
- The WHO is coordinating medical attention and monitoring the health of the remaining 88 passengers and 59 crew members.
- The MV Hondius is expected to dock in Tenerife, Canary Islands, within three to four days.