Deadly Hantavirus Kills 3 on Cruise Ship

What Is It, How Does It Spread and Should You Worry?

The 2026 WHO Outbreak, MV Hondius, Andes Virus Human Transmission & Complete Patient Guide

Three Deaths, One Cruise Ship, One Global Alert

On 2nd May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) received an emergency notification from the United Kingdom, the deadly outbreak of a respiratory illness had occurred aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing in the far Atlantic Ocean, with 147 passengers and crew, from 23 different countries, on board.

As of May 4th, 2026, the casualties had reached three. Four additional passengers developed illness, one of which was severe. There were 2 laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus. The suspected strain: Andes virus, which is a South American virus that has one very disturbing characteristic. It’s the sole hantavirus that is recognized to spread from person to person.

After being turned down for docking permission the ship was anchored off the coast of Cabo Verde, the epicentre of an international health response involving the UK, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Cabo Verde. Patients were being transported by medical crews. Police were on a hunt to find the origin.

Before this gets any further — the most important context: WHO currently has the global risk at a low level. Hantavirus is very unusual. It is not readily spread. It is not transmitted from person to person via the atmosphere like COVID-19 or flu. But when it comes to hitting you, it kills and the questions it raises need honest and clear answers.

This brochure answers some common questions about hantavirus, the incident on the MV Hondius, how the virus is spread, how to identify symptoms, who is at risk, and what steps to take to protect yourself.

BREAKING — WHO Global Alert, May 4–5, 2026

A hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch expedition cruise ship MV Hondius has killed 3 people and left 4 more ill, including one in intensive care. Seven cases (2 lab-confirmed, 5 suspected) have been identified across 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries. WHO is investigating possible human-to-human transmission — a rare and alarming development. Global risk is currently assessed as LOW.

The MV Hondius Outbreak — The Full Timeline

The MV Hondius set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1st, 2026, embarking on a month-long journey to the furthest corners of the planet: Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island.

• 6 April: An adult male passenger starts to develop fever, headache and mild diarrhoea. As of April 11, he is experiencing breathing difficulty. He dies on board. No microbiological test is conducted — he died of an unknown illness of the respiratory tract —
• On April 24-26, the widow of the deceased passenger gets off the plane at Saint Helena with stomach ailments. On 25 April she flies off to Johannesbourg and her condition deteriorates rapidly whilst flying. She dies on arrival at emergency department on April 26th.
• On 27th April, a third passenger, an adult man who was ill due to fever, shortness of breath and pneumonia is medically evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa. He is in intensive care.
• In South Africa, laboratory tests by PCR confirm hantavirus in the critically ill patient on 2nd May. On the same day a fourth case, an adult female with pneumonia, dies aboard.
• The WHO is officially notified by the UK on 2nd May. International response is called in
• Total of 7 cases identified (2 confirmed, 5 suspected): Three deaths, one critical, three mild illness: May 4th

The two most prevalent and accepted theories: 1) contact with infected droppings or nesting material on the ship or 2) infected droppings or nesting material while they were on shore in South America before boarding. Cases 1 and 2 had both visited the Andes virus endemic region days prior to departing on 1 April. The potential for human-to-human transmission of Andes virus among close contacts in the ship is also being investigated actively by WHO.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus is not a single virus, but rather a group of closely related RNA viruses that occur on every continent on which people live, transported quietly by different types of rodents. The animals are infected with the virus, but do not get sick. People who come into contact with the virus (usually by breathing in contaminated air from the urine, feces or nesting material of an infected rodent) can become seriously ill and die.

The virus was named after the Hantan River in South Korea where it was first isolated in 1978 in an outbreak amongst military personnel. Despite this, the illness it triggers was known in Asia for centuries before it was realised that it is caused by a virus: haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

In North America, hantavirus was unfortunately brought to the fore in the American Southwest in the 1993 Four Corners outbreak that killed thirteen people and led to the discovery of a new form of the virus — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) which attacks the lungs. This was a shocking finding: a deadly disease affecting more than 30% of deer mice found throughout a large area of the western United States and carried by the widely distributed deer mouse.

The virus of greatest concern in the 2026 cruise ship outbreak is Andes virus, a strain of the virus first discovered in Argentina in 1996, which has killed hundreds of people in Argentina and Chile and is the only hantavirus confirmed to be transmitted between humans.

How Hantavirus Spreads — Everything You Need to Know

The Standard Route — Rodent Contact

In most cases, the route by which hantavirus is transmitted to humans is the same all over the world: humans come into contact with infected rodent material, such as when they disturb the animals or inhale the virus particles when they breathe near the material. This may occur while you’re:

• Cleaning a shed, barn, garage, cabin or any building that indicates rodents are present
• Farming or harvesting in fields where rodents are present or working in farm fields where rodents are present.
• Camping or sleeping near rodent nesting sites,
• Handling live rodents without protection, including handling floppy, elderly, or injured rodents
• Entry and exposure to high levels of contamination within the building

No one needs to see, touch or be bitten by a rodent to become infected. Dried droppings can be sufficient to aerosolise virus particles and infect. The virus can persist on surfaces for a few days in cool/damp environments.

The Exception — Andes Virus and Human-to-Human Transmission

The Crucial Distinction

Most hantaviruses dead-end in the infected human — they cannot pass to the next person. Andes virus is different. In rare documented cases, particularly among close household contacts and healthcare workers treating patients, Andes virus has spread directly between people. This is why the 2026 cruise ship cluster — where multiple cases emerged among a group of people in close contact — has raised the question of human-to-human transmission.

In 1997, 20 cases of Andes virus were reported in southern Argentina, among them several physicians who had treated patients; this provided strong epidemiological proof of person-to-person transmission. A more recent outbreak in the Argentinean village of Epuyén did necessitate quarantine and strict contact tracing to limit the spread of the outbreak.

It is essential not to take this out of context. Even Andes virus doesn’t easily spread from person-to-person. It needs prolonged, intimate contact with the animal, usually at home or within an intimate relationship between the animal and a family member. Unlike influenza or COVID-19, it is not transmitted by the air. However, the potential is present, so WHO’s prompt escalation was warranted by the cruise ship cluster.

Hantavirus Symptoms — Two Very Different Diseases

The hantaviruses induce two clinically different syndromes depending on the strain. Both start the same way — hence the difficulty of early diagnosis:

Feature	HPS (Americas)	HFRS (Europe/Asia)	Fatality Rate
Strain	New World (Sin Nombre, Andes)	Old World (Hantaan, Puumala, Seoul)	—
Region	Americas (North and South)	Europe, Asia	—
Organ target	Lungs	Kidneys	—
Early signs	Fever, fatigue, muscle aches	Fever, back pain, headache	—
Late signs	Breathlessness, fluid in lungs, ARDS	Kidney failure, bleeding, low BP	—
Fatality	25–50% (Andes up to 50%)	1–15% depending on strain	Varies

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) — Early Warning Signs

The problem with HPS is that is starts off just like the flu — and most people ignore it. The first stage (days 1-5) includes muscle pain (especially thighs, hips, back and shoulders), fever and fatigue. In some patients, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain are also developed – more confusion with stomach bug.

After days 4-10, comes the late phase, and it can get worse in hours. The lungs begin to fill with fluid. There is rapid onset of breathlessness leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). If not treated immediately with intensive care, death results from failure of the respiratory system.

This is the trajectory that the MV Hondius cases seem to have taken — fever and gastrointestinal symptoms rapidly worsening to pneumonia, ARDS and death.

EMERGENCY — Go to Hospital Immediately If

You have been near rodents or rodent droppings within the past 1 to 5 weeks AND you develop: fever combined with muscle aches | shortness of breath that develops after flu-like illness | difficulty breathing | chest tightness. Tell the doctor explicitly about your rodent exposure or recent travel to South America. Do not wait. Early ICU admission is the difference between survival and death.

Who Is Most at Risk?

• Those working or visiting rural areas where rodents are common, such as farms, barns, woodland cabins, warehouses
• Hikers and campers, especially those who sleep near rodent habitat or in older buildings or structures, and
• Persons cleaning up an abandoned building, garage, shed or attic where rodents have been found.
• Indigenous people and travelers in endemic areas – western United States (particularly New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona), Argentina, Chile, Bavaria, Scandinavia, South Korea
• In early 2025, the deaths of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, in their home in Santa Fe highlighted the fact that infection can happen in homes and residences with deer mice.
• Family members, health workers without PPE, who are in close contact with patients with confirmed Andes virus infection.

Hantavirus Around the World in 2026

The cruise ship outbreak comes on the heels of an increase in hantavirus activity around the world in 2025 and early 2026:

• United States: 864 cases confirmed since 1993, mainly in the American Southwest. A 65-year-old woman in Santa Fe County was the first case of HPS for New Mexico in 2025. Chipmunks, ground squirrels and other small mammals, not just deer mice, are also over 30 species in New Mexico that are known to carry live hantavirus.
• Germany 2025: In Bavaria, the number of cases rose from 25 to 55 in the first half of the year, twice as many as last year, due to an increase in the bank vole population.
• ARGENTINA 2025: Over 60 cases of HPS occurred in the country with a mortality rate of 32%, which is much higher than the 15% mortality rate average for HPS recorded over the past several years.
• In China, 10,000 to 15,000 people develop HFRS each year, a figure which has been significantly reduced from past levels due to a national vaccination strategy.

WHO estimates 10,000-100,000 cases of hantavirus worldwide annually, most of which are cases of HFRS caused by Old World strains in Asia and Europe. The HPS from the New World strains is much more rare and deadly.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment — Supportive but Life-Saving

A particularly effective antiviral agent against hantavirus has not been identified in most countries. While there are no vaccines for Hantaan or Seoul viruses in the West, the Chinese national vaccination programme has been very effective against endemic viruses in the country. Treatment is therefore completely supportive – but intensive, expert supportive care is vital for saving lives:

• Immediate admission to ICU for HPS cases — prior to respiratory failure.
• For severe respiratory failure mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be required.
• Pulmonary oedema – over-hydration exacerbates pulmonary oedema in HPS, fluids need to be managed carefully
• If your child has acute renal failure, dialysis of the kidneys may be needed.
• The antiviral ribavirin has been used with variable success – early IV ribavirin in HFRS has been associated with a decrease in severity, however there is limited evidence for HPS

Prevention — What You Can Do

• Seal all entryways, mice can get in through a gap the size of a finger, inspect around pipes, doors, foundations and vents
• Use sealed containers to keep food out of rodents (even pet food)
• Do not sweep or vacuum rat droppings, spray them with bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then wipe them up with gloves.
• Clean areas where rodents have been seen by wearing an N95 or P100 respirator (not a face mask).
• Camping: Sleep in a tent and avoid sleeping in areas where rodents nest or burrow.
• When travelling to Andes-endemic areas (Argentina, Chile) be extra-cautious around any rodent contact and keep a close eye on symptoms for up to 6 weeks after returning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is hantavirus?

There are several RNA viruses in the genus Hanta, which are transmitted by rodents on all inhabited continents. The virus is shed in feces and saliva of rodents, but does not make them sick. They are mostly inhaled through the air when humans come into contact with the droppings, urine or saliva of infected rodents (usually during cleaning, farming, or camping). Depending on the strain, hantavirus causes either hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which attacks the lungs, or haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which attacks the kidneys.

Q: Can hantavirus spread from person to person?

In nearly every instance, no. Most of the hantavirus strains found are not capable of being transmitted from one person to another. There is one reported exception – Andes virus from Argentina and Chile, which has been associated with limited human-to-human transmission, in close contact environments such as families and healthcare facilities. That’s why WHO has begun investigating human-to-human spread of Andes virus with the 2026 cruise ship cluster.

Q: What happened on the cruise ship in May 2026?

On 6 April 2026 the MV Hondius expedition cruise ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina for a voyage that lasted until 28 April 2026, during which seven passengers and crew developed severe respiratory illness. As of May 4, three died, and one person was in critical condition in intensive care. There have been two laboratory confirmations of hantavirus in South Africa. On the 2nd of May 2026, WHO was officially notified, and is currently conducting an international investigation that includes the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Cabo Verde.

Q: How deadly is hantavirus?

Is determined solely by the strain. The Sin Nombre virus causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) with a potential case fatality rate of about 36% in the United States. The fatality rate for Andes virus, which is possibly involved in the 2026 outbreak, is between 35 and 50%. Old World strains which cause HFRS are much less fatal (Puumala virus in Europe with less than 1% mortality rate and Hantaan virus in Asia with 5 to 15%).

Q: How do I prevent hantavirus infection?

The prevention is to prevent contact with contaminated rodent material. Avoid sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings instead, spray with bleach solution and wear gloves and a mask (N95). Seal all entry points into your home where rodents can enter. If you are camping, place sleeping bags and tents away from rodent habitat in sealed tents. In the case of return travel to endemic areas of South America, careful attention should be paid to any contact with rodents and symptoms should be observed for up to 6 weeks. If potential exposure leads to flu-like signs of illness and breathing problems, seek immediate care.

Conclusion — Rare, Serious, and Worth Understanding

Three have been killed. Investigation by WHO is ongoing. And, the world is asking questions about the virus most people have never heard before. The truthful response to the question of ‘should you worry?’ is probably no, but you should be informed.

Hantavirus is a real threat if someone contracts it — yet it’s extraordinarily unlikely unless they are in certain settings of direct contact with rodents. Unfortunately, the outbreak of 2026 is a tragic and unusual event, and has put questions of the Andes virus strain and human-to-human transmission front and center. A number of the world’s top infectious disease experts are actively working on those questions.

The lesson to be learned from this outbreak is that zoonotic diseases are ubiquitous in the environment that we share with animals. The deer mouse in the New Mexico garage, the bank vole in the Bavarian forest, rodents that may have gotten onto a ship in the South Atlantic all have pathogens the human immune system is not ready for.

Be aware of warning signs. Clean safely. Seek help early. Pass on this guide to anyone who might be in danger.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only. If you have concerns about hantavirus exposure, contact your doctor or local health authority immediately. In an emergency, call 999 (UK) or 911 (US).