In a tragic turn of events, a cruise ship journeying through the Atlantic Ocean has been struck by a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus, claiming the lives of three individuals, including an elderly married couple. At least three more passengers have fallen ill, according to a joint statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) and South Africa’s Department of Health.
As investigations unfold, WHO has confirmed at least one case of hantavirus on board. One patient currently battles for their life in a South African hospital’s intensive care unit. Efforts are underway to evacuate two other symptomatic individuals from the ship, as reported by the U.N.’s health agency.
The cruise, operated by a Dutch company, now remains anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, located off Africa’s west coast. While local authorities are providing assistance, they have yet to permit disembarkation. The two individuals requiring immediate medical attention are reportedly crew members.
Hantavirus infections are spread mainly by rodents
Hantaviruses, a global concern, are primarily transmitted through contact with the waste of infected rodents such as rats and mice. The virus drew significant attention last year following the death of Betsy Arakawa, the wife of late actor Gene Hackman, who succumbed to a hantavirus infection in New Mexico. Hackman himself passed away shortly after from heart disease.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hantaviruses are responsible for two critical syndromes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which severely impacts the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which targets the kidneys.
Hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe disease that effects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a severe disease that affects the kidneys.
While rare, WHO said hantavirus infections can be spread between people. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.
“WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean,” the organization said. “Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing.”
The weekslong cruise started in Argentina
South Africa’s Department of Health said the ship, the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, had left Argentina around three weeks ago for a cruise that included visits to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other stops. It was due to ultimately head to Spain’s Canary Islands on the other side of the Atlantic.
The first victim was a 70-year-old man who died on the ship and whose body was removed in the British territory of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, the South African health department said in a statement. The man’s wife collapsed at an airport in South Africa trying to take a flight to her home country of the Netherlands, the department said. She died at a nearby hospital.
The department identified the patient in intensive care in a hospital in Johannesburg as a British national. It said that person fell ill near Ascension Island, another remote island in the Atlantic, after the ship left Saint Helena and was transferred from there to South Africa.
Around 150 passengers were onboard
Around 150 tourists were onboard at the time of the outbreak, South Africa’s health department said. Several online tour operators said the Hondius, which is described as a specialist polar cruise ship, usually travels with around 70 crew members.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the company that runs the cruise, said the third victim’s body was still onboard the ship in Cape Verde and its priority was to ensure the two crew members who were ill received medical care.
“Local health authorities have visited the vessel to assess the condition of the two symptomatic individuals,” the company said. “They are yet to make a decision regarding the transfer of these individuals into medical care in Cape Verde.”
WHO said it was working with national authorities and the ship’s operators to conduct a “full public health risk assessment” and provide support for those still onboard.
South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, meanwhile, was conducting contact tracing in the Johannesburg region to identify if other people were exposed to the infected passengers in South Africa.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
