MV Hondius ship
Photo: Marine Traffic
Updated on 05/05/2026 at 1:45 p.m
On board a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, where an outbreak of the disease was recorded hantavirusthere are five citizens of Ukraine.
The ship’s operating company, Oceanwide Expeditions, confirmed the presence of Ukrainians among the crew, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported.
According to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands, “there is no evidence of an unsatisfactory state of their health.”
The liner is off the coast of Cape Verde. A total of 149 people from 23 countries are on board.
Restrictive measures have already been implemented on the ship, including isolation, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring.
The operating company cooperates with international structures, in particular with the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
“All passengers have been informed and are being supported,” – they say in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Embassy of Ukraine maintains contact with the vessel operator.
“The situation is under the special control of the Department of the Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands”, – added in the department.
What is known about hantavirus and how dangerous it is?
Hantaviruses – a group of viruses that are carried by rodents and can cause severe illness and death in humans. Usually infection is happening through contact with infected animals or their urine, droppings or saliva.
Most hantaviruses are not transmitted between humans, except for the Andes virus, which mainly circulates in South America.
Diseases caused by pathogens in humans vary by pathogen type and geographic location. For example, in America, infection can lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome.
At the same time, in the countries of Europe and Asia, viruses cause people hemorrhagic fever with renal syndromewhich mostly affects the kidneys and blood vessels.
Disease symptoms usually begin to appear one to eight weeks after infection. Illnesses are manifested mostly due to:
- fever;
- headache;
- muscle pain;
- gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting.
At this stage, the illness can be “very easily confused with any of the many other viral infections,” told pulmonologist and intensive care physician Charles Van Hook The New York Times.
The exact cause of the disease is established thanks to laboratory tests.
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus diseases, as there are no vaccines. Patients are provided with supportive care and treated for respiratory, cardiac and renal complications.
We will remind, earlier on the vessel MV Hondius, which was on its way from Argentina to Cape Verde, one confirmed and five probable cases were recorded hantavirus infection.
The operating company reported that two crew members needed urgent medical attention, but Cape Verdean authorities did not allow them to disembark for hospitalization. In addition, one of the passengers is in the intensive care unit.
At the same time, Ukrainian diplomats learned that there were no sick Ukrainians on the liner.
And the World Health Organization said that they currently see no reason to introduce travel restrictions.
In the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, outbreak risks for EU countries called very low
Note: The text has been changed. Added information about diseases caused by hantaviruses.
