The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that another passenger on board the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius has also tested positive for hantavirus, raising concerns over the deadly outbreak that has already killed three passengers.
In a post on X, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Swiss authorities have confirmed a case of hantavirus identified in a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship who presented to hospital in Zurich. The patient is currently receiving care at a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.”
He added that the patient had responded to an email sent by the cruise ship operator informing passengers about the health emergency onboard.
The WHO chief further confirmed that as of May 6, authorities had identified eight cases linked to the outbreak, three of whom have now been laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections.
The virus was identified as the Andes virus — a rare and dangerous hantavirus strain found in South America — following testing by laboratories in South Africa and Switzerland.
THREE DEAD, THREE EVACUATED
Since the MV Hondius set sail from Argentina nearly a month ago, three passengers have died in connection with the hantavirus outbreak, while three others were medically evacuated for treatment.
The evacuated passengers were a 56-year-old British man, a 41-year-old Dutch crew member, and a 65-year-old German national, the BBC reported.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said two of the evacuated passengers were transferred to hospitals in Amsterdam for treatment, while the third remained aboard a delayed evacuation flight.
Of the three, two of them are showing symptoms, while the third had shown no symptoms despite being in close contact with a victim who died on May 2.
WHO officials also confirmed that the body of a deceased German passenger would remain aboard the cruise ship until it reaches Spain’s Canary Islands, as authorities in Cape Verde were unable to cremate the body.
TWO BRITONS ISOLATING AT HOME
Meanwhile, two British nationals are self-isolating at home in the UK after possible exposure to hantavirus on the ship.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the two passengers left earlier during the journey and currently do not have any symptoms.
They disembarked at St Helena between April 22 and 24 before flying back to the UK via Johannesburg. The pair later contacted health authorities after learning about the hantavirus cases linked to the ship.
The UKHSA said contact tracing for people they may have interacted with during their return journey is underway, adding that the risk to the wider public remains “very low.”
US, SOUTH AFRICA MONITORING POTENTIAL EXPOSURES
According to a New York Times report, health authorities in at least three US states are monitoring people for possible hantavirus exposure linked to the cruise outbreak, although no illnesses have been reported so far.
South African health authorities are also tracing dozens of people who may have come into contact with infected passengers after two travellers disembarked from the ship at separate South Atlantic islands and flew to South Africa.
Officials in South Africa identified 62 possible contacts, including airline passengers, airport staff, healthcare workers, cleaners, and border officials. Authorities have successfully traced 42 people so far, none of whom tested positive. However, some of the remaining contacts may have travelled to other countries.
WHO: THIS IS NOT THE NEXT COVID
Despite the outbreak, WHO officials stressed that the overall risk to the public remains low.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s top epidemic expert, said the Andes variant is known to science, although the agency had never previously encountered a hantavirus outbreak aboard a ship.
“This is not the next Covid, but it is a serious infectious disease,” Van Kerkhove told AP. “Most people will never be exposed to this.”
She warned that infected patients can develop severe respiratory complications requiring oxygen support or mechanical ventilation. The incubation period for hantavirus can range from one to six weeks or longer.
WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS
Hantavirus infections often begin with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. However, the disease can rapidly worsen and become life-threatening.
One form of the illness — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) — causes fluid buildup in the lungs and severe breathing difficulty. Symptoms usually appear between one and six weeks after exposure to infected rodents.
Another form, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), can trigger internal bleeding, high fever, and kidney failure.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantavirus pulmonary syndrome kills around 35 per cent of infected patients, while the fatality rate for haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome ranges between 1 per cent and 15 per cent, depending on the virus strain.
– Ends
(With AP and Reuters inputs)
Published By:
Karishma Saurabh Kalita
Published On:
May 7, 2026 07:48 IST