Health officials around the world are working quickly to trace passengers who left a cruise ship before a deadly virus outbreak was confirmed onboard, raising concerns about potential additional infections across multiple countries.
The outbreak involves hantavirus cases connected to the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for a voyage through Antarctica and several remote South Atlantic islands. The ship carried roughly 147 to 150 passengers and crew members representing more than 20 nationalities.
According to officials, 29 passengers disembarked from the ship in Saint Helena on April 24 before hantavirus was officially confirmed aboard the vessel. One additional person had already died before the passengers left the ship, but at the time, health officials had not yet identified hantavirus as the cause.
The World Health Organization later confirmed that the outbreak involved the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare version capable of limited human-to-human transmission through close and prolonged contact. While hantavirus is usually spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, officials say this particular strain has shown the ability to spread between people under certain circumstances. Even so, WHO emphasized that the overall public risk remains low and that the situation is not considered comparable to widespread outbreaks like COVID-19.
As of the latest update, eight cases have been identified, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three suspected cases. Three people have died in connection with the outbreak.
The first known patient became sick on April 6 while onboard the ship. That passenger later died on April 11 after developing severe respiratory distress. A second victim, identified as the wife of the first patient and a close contact, disembarked in Saint Helena before flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she died the following day after her condition worsened.
Another passenger became seriously ill and was medically evacuated from the ship to South Africa, where testing later confirmed hantavirus infection. A third death occurred onboard the ship on April 28.
Because passengers from numerous countries had already left the vessel before the virus was confirmed, international health agencies are now conducting large-scale contact tracing efforts. Officials are attempting to identify anyone who may have been exposed, including airline passengers, cruise travelers, and close contacts in several countries.
Authorities in the United States are also involved in monitoring returning passengers. Reports indicate that at least several Americans from states including Arizona, Georgia, and California are being observed by health departments after returning home from the cruise. Officials say those individuals have not shown symptoms so far.
Passengers and crew still onboard the ship have reportedly remained isolated in their cabins while the vessel traveled toward Spain’s Canary Islands. Health officials stated that no additional symptomatic passengers were identified among those still onboard, though medical teams continue monitoring everyone closely because the virus can incubate for up to six weeks before symptoms appear.
The cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said it is cooperating fully with health authorities and assisting with efforts to track passengers and crew members who may have had contact with infected individuals.
Investigators are also working to determine how the outbreak began. Argentine officials believe the likely source may trace back to a Dutch couple who reportedly went birdwatching near a landfill in Ushuaia before boarding the ship, potentially exposing themselves to rodents carrying the virus. However, the investigation into the exact origin remains ongoing.
Health experts say symptoms of hantavirus can include fever, headaches, gastrointestinal illness, pneumonia, respiratory distress, and shock. The disease is considered rare but can be severe and potentially fatal.
Officials continue stressing that the broader public risk remains low, but they are aggressively tracing passengers and monitoring contacts out of caution due to the unusual nature of the outbreak and the international travel involved.
Source: ABC15 Phoenix
