Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, in this screengrab obtained from a video, May 4, 2026. REUTERS TV via REUTERS<\/p>\n
Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak Points to Virus Spreading Among Humans<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Marthe Fourcade and Jason Gale (Bloomberg) \u2014 The cruise ship where a handful of passengers<\/p>\n
contracted\u00a0a rare respiratory virus<\/p>\n
, stranding hundreds aboard, will travel to the Canary Islands once two ill crew members are medically evacuated, the World Health Organization said, adding it suspects limited transmission between passengers.<\/p>\n
Two passengers have so far been confirmed to have a variant of hantavirus, a rare infection that typically spreads to humans through contact with infected rodents and their droppings. One was among three people who have died in the outbreak and the other is in intensive care in South Africa, the WHO said.<\/p>\n
Others who are ill \u2014 and their contacts \u2014 are being traced and tested to understand where the contagion began and how it progressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have a full picture yet but we have some working assumptions,\u201d Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO\u2019s director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said at a briefing. The first patient, a Dutch man, was likely infected off the ship and transmitted the virus to close contacts, including his wife, who also died. \u201cWe do believe there may be some human-to-human transmission among very close contacts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In what appears to be an evolving situation, Spain pushed back on the ship traveling to the Canary Islands. The country\u2019s health ministry said that a team of WHO epidemiologists is set to make an assessment Tuesday, with the aim of evacuating symptomatic cases in Cape Verde. The vessel\u2019s final destination, where the passengers will disembark, is still undecided, the ministry said.<\/p>\n
Passengers and staff from 23 different countries are isolating on the ship, the<\/p>\n
, according to its Dutch operator, Oceanwide Expeditions BV. A total of seven people out of almost 150 have become ill, the WHO said. Severe cases can lead to<\/p>\n
hantavirus pulmonary syndrome<\/p>\n
, causing fluid buildup in the lungs. Early symptoms resemble flu but can worsen quickly. The overall public risk is considered low, as person-to-person transmission is unusual.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no evidence of spread beyond the ship,\u201d said Benjamin Brennan of the University of Glasgow. \u201cThe real concern is whether additional cases emerge among passengers and crew during this critical window.\u201d<\/p>\n
People can become infected with hantavirus by<\/p>\n
contaminated particles, often in enclosed spaces with rodent droppings. The ship, which left southern Argentina about three weeks ago for the Canary Islands via Cape Verde, also passed several islands en route. The Andes variant, which can spread between humans, is the suspected strain pending test results.<\/p>\n
Local health officials have visited the vessel but have not allowed sick passengers to disembark, Oceanwide said. Because the ship sails under a Dutch flag, the Netherlands is coordinating the response.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n