Madrid, Spain
Exactly one month ago the first victim of hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius cruise ship He began to experience the symptoms of this disease, which could be confused with those of different viral infections.
Since then nearly four weeks passed until the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified – on May 2 – of the outbreak, during which time three people died, in addition to four other people who presented symptoms of varying degrees on the cruise ship.
An eighth person who was on the ship and disembarked before the outbreak was declared has tested positive for the virus in tests carried out at a hospital in Zurich, in Swiss.
How many deaths are there from hantavirus?
In total there are eight people directly affected in this situation, which generates attention and concern in terms of public health.
Three people have died in this outbreak. The first fatality was the man who experienced the first symptoms (fever, headache and mild diarrhea), who died on the ship on April 11.
His wife was the second person to die. She disembarked on the island of Saint Helena already with symptoms and took a flight to Johannesburg, but died on April 26 in the emergency services of a hospital in this city.
According to information from the Netherlands, both were Dutch.
The WHO has declined to confirm nationalities for privacy reasons.
The third death was that of a second woman on May 2 after presenting symptoms of pneumonia.
Three suspects #hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands in coordination with @WHOthe ship’s operator and national authorities from Cape Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands…. pic.twitter.com/olQBk6tdGk
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros)
May 6, 2026
How many confirmed and suspected cases are there?
Of the five remaining cases, all correspond to people who have experienced varying degrees of hantnvirus symptoms, but who are alive.
The most serious case was that of a man who presented to the ship’s doctor on April 24 with fever, difficulty breathing and signs of pneumonia, conditions that worsened 48 hours later. This person was able to be medically evacuated on April 27 on Ascension Island, where the cruise ship was making a stopover.
From there she was transferred to South Africa, where she is hospitalized. The WHO has indicated that his condition is improving. According to several reports, he is a British national.
Three additional people showed symptoms on the ship. Of these, one does not now present any symptoms, after having had a slight fever in the midst of this situation, which is why it is considered a suspicious case.
These three people have been evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship to be transferred to the Netherlands, where they will receive medical attention and undergo the corresponding tests.
According to information from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is a 56-year-old British citizen – who would be the cruise ship’s doctor -, a 41-year-old Dutchman and a 65-year-old German.
With this evacuation, there are no longer any people on the ship who present symptoms of hatanvirus.
