Following the probable outbreak aboard a luxury cruise liner off the coast of West Africa that killed three people, seven instances of hantavirus have been found.
There are five suspected cases and two confirmed cases on board, according to the World Health Organization.
Along with the majority of British, American, and Spanish passengers, it is carrying four Australians.
According to the WHO, as of May 4, 2026, seven cases (two laboratory-confirmed cases and five suspected cases) have been discovered, including three deaths, one seriously ill patient, and three persons exhibiting minor symptoms.
Following the deaths of a Dutch couple and a German national, as well as the illnesses of others, about 150 passengers are still stranded on the MV Hondius. According to authorities, one of them is a British person who disembarked from the ship and is receiving medical attention in South Africa.
On Monday, medical personnel were working to evacuate two additional individuals who were exhibiting signs of the infection.
One patient exhibiting symptoms has been proven to have hantavirus, according to the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), which is helping with the outbreak.
Particles from urine or mouse droppings can spread the hantavirus, which can cause a deadly respiratory infection. It is difficult for people to transfer.
Since there are no specific medications to treat the illness, supportive care—including placing patients on ventilators in severe cases—is the mainstay of treatment.
According to the WHO, there was no need for travel restrictions or alarm because the risk to the general public was minimal.
However, authorities at Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean, claimed that as a precaution, they had not permitted the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius to dock.
In a heartfelt Instagram video clip from the ship on Monday, US travel writer Jake Rosmarin stated, We are not simply headlines: we are people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home.
The difficult part is that there is a lot of uncertainty.
According to a representative for Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship's Dutch operator, all guests have been instructed to stay in their cabins as a precaution to stop the virus from spreading.
Even though human-to-human transmission is uncommon, some persons may not yet exhibit symptoms because the incubation period can persist for many weeks.
In addition to the German national's remains and a guest closely acquainted with the deceased who is symptom-free, Oceanwide Expeditions was attempting to arrange the repatriation of two crew members—one British and one Dutch—who had the illness.
The business stated that it was investigating the possibility of screening and disembarking passengers on the islands of Tenerife and Las Palmas.
The ship has not yet been asked to dock and disembark passengers in Spain, according to Spanish authorities.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry, which Oceanwide Expeditions stated would submit the request.
The Hondius left Ushuaia in southern Argentina in March, according to corporate documents, on a cruise billed as an Antarctic nature expedition, with berth costs ranging from $A23,000-$36,000.
Before arriving in Cape Verdean seas on May 3, it passed mainland Antarctica, the Falklands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan, St. Helena, and Ascension.
Two of the deceased were Dutch nationals, according to South Africa's Health Department: a 70-year-old man who passed away in St Helena on April 11 and his 69-year-old wife who passed away in South Africa following a collapse at OR Tambo International Airport.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the German victim on board passed away on May 2, while the British guy receiving treatment in a private clinic in Johannesburg fell ill on April 27.
One to eight weeks after exposure, hantavirus typically manifests as flu-like symptoms as fever and exhaustion.
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