health
May 4, 2026
Filipinos, Britons, Americans, and Spaniards Among Most Numerous on Ship with Hantavirus
38 Filipinos (all crew members), 23 Britons, 17 Americans, and 14 Spaniards are the most numerous among the 149 people of 23 nationalities traveling on the cruise ship MV Hondius, where a possible Hantavirus outbreak has been detected. The ship is off the coast of Cape Verde, whose authorities have denied entry for reasons of "national public safety," the Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions reported this Monday.
TL;DR
- The MV Hondius cruise ship has a potential Hantavirus outbreak with 149 people from 23 nationalities on board.
- Cape Verde authorities denied the ship entry for public safety reasons.
- Three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple and a German national.
- One passenger, a Briton, is in critical condition and has been diagnosed with a Hantavirus variant.
- Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, have acute respiratory symptoms.
- The ship, which departed from Argentina, may seek to dock in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Tenerife.
- Hantavirus can cause severe respiratory illness and is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodent excrement.