Praia (Cape Verde) – Three people have died and a Briton remains in intensive care after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a polar expedition ship. With 149 people on board, the ship is prohibited from docking at the port of Praia, while international authorities coordinate emergency medical evacuations and evaluate the Canary Islands as a possible disembarkation point.

First modification: 05/04/2026 - 15:15Last modification: 05/05/2026 - 12:27

Dozens of passengers and crew members of a cruise ship suspected of being affected by a hantavirus outbreak remained stranded off the coast of Cape Verde on Monday night, waiting for a place to disembark.

The ship, which was covering the route between Ushuaia (Argentina) and Cape Verde, was off Praia, the capital of that West African archipelago, an AFP photographer confirmed.

The MV Hondius was carrying 149 people of 23 nationalities. According to an official list, most of the passengers are from the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States, and the crew are from the Philippines.

There is also an Argentine passenger and a Guatemalan crew member on board.

The cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, reported that a Dutch couple and a German died after the alleged outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which reported on Sunday three deaths linked to this alleged outbreak of the virus, this Tuesday raised those affected by the possible hantavirus outbreak detected on a cruise ship from six to seven.

In a statement, the WHO detailed that among these seven cases, two have been confirmed in the laboratory and five are still suspicious, it noted.

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Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO's department of epidemic and pandemic prevention and preparedness, had said on Monday night that there were "no other people showing symptoms on board at the moment, but the situation is being closely monitored."

"Passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins and reduce risks while disinfection measures are carried out," he added.

Hantaviruses, mainly transmitted to humans by infected rodents, can cause respiratory and cardiac difficulties, as well as hemorrhagic fevers.

The ship did not receive authorization to dock in the port of Praia, and anchored off the Cape Verde coast on Monday.

Medical teams came aboard to examine the two infected people, according to authorities.

"Disembarking in the Canary Islands?"

The National Health Directorate of Cape Verde announced that it had requested the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to send air ambulances "as soon as possible" to evacuate the patients.

"WHO, in cooperation with the authorities of Cape Verde and the Netherlands, and the ship's operator, are working to ensure that the two sick people are evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment there," Van Kerkhove said.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that it was studying "the possibilities of medically evacuating some people from the ship."

Jake Rosmarin, a passenger on the MV Hondius who chronicles his trip on social media, said on Instagram Monday that "there is a lot of uncertainty."

"That's the hardest part. All we want now is to feel safe, have clear answers and go home," he said.

The islands of Las Palmas and Tenerife, in the Spanish Canary archipelago, are considered as possible disembarkation places for passengers, Oceanwide Expeditions indicated.

The operator explained that, after a first death on board on April 11, the body of the passenger, a Dutchman, was disembarked on the island of Saint Helena (United Kingdom) on April 24, accompanied by his wife, who later also died.

On April 27, a British passenger fell ill and was evacuated to South Africa, where he tested positive for hantavirus, according to the cruise company.

A German man died on board on May 2, with no cause established, Oceanwide Expeditions added.

Don't "panic"

"There is no reason to panic or impose travel restrictions," said Hans Kluge, WHO director for Europe.

The manager highlighted that hantavirus infections are rare and "are not easily transmitted between people."

In its first statement on the situation, Oceanwide Expeditions, a specialist in polar expeditions, had confirmed "a serious medical situation" on board the MV Hondius. He later announced the three deaths.

Although hantavirus infection was confirmed in the case of the British man in intensive care in Johannesburg, it is not yet known if this virus caused the three deaths, according to the cruise company.

"The exact cause and any possible link are under investigation," the ship's operator said.

In the absence of vaccines and specific medications against hantaviruses, treatments are limited to relieving symptoms.

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