Three dead after suspected hantavirus outbreak leaves Dutch cruise ship moored off the coast of Africa
Three people have died and another is in intensive care in South Africa after a suspected outbreak of the rare but deadly hantavirus on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that of the six people on the ship exhibiting symptoms, only one of the cases had been confirmed on the vessel, a Dutch cruise liner called the MV Hondius.
On Monday, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed four Australians were among 88 passengers and 68 crew aboard the ship.
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The cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 3, 2025. An outbreak of "severe acute respiratory illness" on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left three people dead, a third in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, and two crew members in need of urgent medical attention. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. AFP
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson had earlier confirmed one Australian was on the ship but none of the reported cases involved Australians.
On Monday, Oceanwide Expeditions said the ship was off the coast of Cape Verde, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa, and laid out a timeline of the medical situation.
It said a Dutch passenger died on April 11 and his wife left the ship with his body at St Helena on April 24 but three days later the woman became unwell and died on the return journey. South Africa's Department of Health identified the husband as a 70-year-old man.
That same day, a British passenger still on board became "seriously ill" and was medically evacuated to South Africa, where he remained in a critical but stable condition in a Johannesburg intensive care unit.
Oceanwide Expeditions said a variant of hantavirus had been identified in that patient but stressed the Dutch couple's deaths had not been confirmed as "connected to the current medical situation on board."
A third passenger, from Germany, died on May 2 but a cause was yet to be established, it said, adding that two crew members needed "urgent attention" for "acute respiratory systems", which were mild in one of the workers and severe in the other.
This undated photo provided by Oceanwide Expeditions shows the m/v Hondius, a Polar Class 6 passenger vessel, at sea. Oceanwide Expeditions via AP
"Hantavirus has not currently been confirmed in the two persons still on board who require medical care," Oceanwide Expeditions said.
"Nor has it been established that the virus is connected to the three deaths associated with this voyage. The exact cause and any possible connection are being investigated.
"Therefore, the only confirmed case of hantavirus is the passenger who was medically evacuated and is now being treated in Johannesburg."
Oceanwide Expeditions said it was working closely with the WHO, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while preparing for "possible medical repatriation and next steps".
"The option of sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife are being considered to be the gateway for disembarkation, where further medical screening and handling could take place," the company said.
"Strict precautionary measures are in process on board, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring. All passengers have been informed and are being supported.
"Oceanwide Expeditions is in close contact with those directly involved and their families, and is providing support where possible."
A woman works at her shop in Epuyen, Argentina, on Friday, January 11, 2019, after an outbreak of hantavirus. AP Photo/Gustavo Zaninelli, File
Local health authorities visited ship
The company earlier said Cape Verdean health authorities had boarded the ship to assess the people requiring medical attention, but that they were not allowed to leave the ship.
"No authorisation from Cape Verdean authorities has been given to disembark guests requiring medical care or to support with medical screening," Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement released this morning.
"Local health authorities have visited the vessel to assess the condition of the two symptomatic individuals."
The company also said it was working with Dutch authorities to repatriate two symptomatic people on the ship back to the Netherlands, along with the body of one of the people who died on board.
The company, in a post on social media, said they were facing "complex challenges" to help expedite the treatment of its sick crew members.
The ship was sailing from Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina to Cape Verde, and is estimated to have 150 passengers on board, according to South Africa's health department.
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Several online tour operators said the Hondius, which is described as a specialist polar cruise ship, usually travels with around 70 crew members.
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, South Africa's Department of Health 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 the 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.
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The MV Hondius. AFP/Getty
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.
People can become infected with antavirus through exposure to rodents' urine or faeces, and the disease can also spread from person to person, though this is rare.
Initial symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, but it can also lead to severe respiratory illnesses and death.
"Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew," WHO said in a statement published on X.
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus are a group of viruses that can impact people, though there have been no human cases recorded in Australia.
The virus is found all over the world, including in Asia, Europe and the USA.
It gained attention last year after the late actor Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection.
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Actor Gene Hackman and his Betsy Arakawa in 2003. The pair died last year, with Arakawa sufffering from hantavirus, it was later rveealed. AP
A photo taken by investigators during the search of the home of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. Santa Fe County Sheriff
Hackman died around a week later at their home from heart disease.
The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus infections, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.
Reported with Associated Press.
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