3 dead in suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard Dutch cruise ship, WHO says. Here’s what we know so far.

Three people have died and four others have been sickened aboard a small Dutch expedition cruise ship in a suspected hantavirus outbreak, health officials say.

The MV Hondius ship, carrying about 150 passengers, including 61 crew members and 17 Americans, is currently on lockdown off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, the vessel’s operator.

Hantavirus is typically passed from rodents to humans through feces, saliva or urine, and can cause severe respiratory illness. Human-to-human transmission is rare.

Authorities are preparing to evacuate two crew members who are showing acute symptoms of the disease, the company said. The disembarkation of the remaining passengers, including their medical evacuation and screening, requires permission from local health authorities and has not been finalized.

The confirmed hantavirus cases include a British passenger who is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a Dutch woman who died after disembarking with the body of her husband, who had shown symptoms before his death. The cause of his death and that of a German national have not yet been confirmed.

No other people with symptoms have been identified. Isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring are in place on board as a precaution.

The World Health Organization said in a statement on Tuesday that the suspected outbreak is not a public health threat and that the risk to the global population is “low.”

“There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,” Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, said in a statement on Monday.

Here’s what we know.

What is hantavirus and how do people get it?

The hantavirus gained attention in February 2025 when the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.

Hantaviruses are a “family of viruses which can cause serious illnesses and death,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can get hantavirus by coming into contact with rodents, such as mice and rats, particularly when exposed to their urine, feces and saliva. Though rare, it’s possible it can be transmitted through a bite or scratch from a rodent.

“In the Americas, hantaviruses can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory illness, with a case fatality rate up to 40%,” according to the WHO. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches. Half of patients also experience headaches, dizziness, chills and gastrointestinal problems, according to the CDC. HCPS symptoms can show 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent.

The only known limited human-to-human transmission documented, known as the Andes virus, was found in South America, according to the WHO. It’s mostly found in Chile and Argentina, where the ship set sail from.

Hantaviruses in Europe and Asia can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and symptoms can develop within one to two weeks after exposure and can include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea and blurred vision. Later symptoms can include low blood pressure and internal bleeding.

A timeline of the MV Hondius’s travel

The MV Hondius disembarked from Ushuaia, Argentina, in early April and has been at sea for about seven weeks.

• On April 11, a Dutch passenger died on board, and the cause of death could not be determined on the ship, according to Oceanwide Expeditions. Around two weeks later, on April 24, the passenger was disembarked in St. Helena, accompanied by his wife, also a Dutch national.

• On April 27, the ship’s operator was informed that the wife had become unwell on her journey home and later died. She tested positive for a variant of the hantavirus, the company said.

• The same day, another passenger became seriously ill and had to be hospitalized in Johannesburg, South Africa. That passenger, who is British, also tested positive for hantavirus.

• On May 2, a German national passenger died on board. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

There are currently two crew members “with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe,” who are of British and Dutch nationality. Both require urgent medical care and their medical transfer has not yet taken place.

What’s next for the passengers on board?

The passengers aboard the MV Hondius won’t be allowed to disembark in Cape Verde to protect the local population, the country’s health minister, Maria da Luz Lima, told Radio Cabo Verde on Sunday.

It’s possible that the ship could continue on to Spain’s Canary Islands. “Preparations are being made for possible medical repatriation and next steps,” Oceanwide Expeditions said. “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.”