The luxury cruise ship MV Hondius has been at the center of an international health scare since Saturday (3 May), when the UN health agency was informed that three passengers had died and the suspected cause was hantavirus.
An outbreak of a rare rodent-borne disease called hantavirus aboard a cruise ship has left three passengers dead and sickened another. The outbreak may have originated in Argentina, the Associated Press reported.
Here’s everything you need to know about the hantavirus haunting in Hondio:
1. The WHO confirmed that as of May 6, eight cases have been registered, three of which have been confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory examination.
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Hantavirus is a serious, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease caused by contact with infected rodents, primarily through their droppings, urine or saliva. On a cruise ship, the risk of spread increases due to the close proximity and prolonged interaction between passengers, which can lead to airborne particles or direct contact.
The strain of hantavirus identified on the cruise ship MV Hondius was Andean hantavirus. This strain is usually found in Argentina and Chile and is known to be able to spread between people, although this is rare.
Symptoms of hantavirus infection usually begin one to eight weeks after exposure and may include fever, muscle aches, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can progress to respiratory failure.
Global health officials say the risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is considered low. Hantavirus does not spread easily between people, and human-to-human transmission is very rare and only occurs under specific conditions involving very close contact.
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection. Current therapy focuses on supportive care, such as rest, fluids, and potentially ventilator-like breathing support, to manage severe symptoms.
“Since April 1, when the ship set sail, 7 people out of 147 passengers and crew have fallen ill, of whom 3 have died, 1 is seriously ill and 3 are reporting mild symptoms,” the WHO said on May 5.
2. The cruise ship’s operator said a total of 114 guests boarded the vessel on April 1 before it left Ushuaia, Argentina for a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde.
A total of 30 passengers left the Hondius on April 24 during its call on the remote British island of St Helena, the Dutch cruise ship operator said, quoted by AFP.
The news raised concerns that the virus could spread as travelers returned home, although experts say the risk to the wider public is considered low.
3. The company said all people who had left the ship had been contacted
“We are working to ascertain the details of all passengers and crew who boarded and disembarked at various stops of the MV Hondius since March 20,” it added.
Detailed investigations are underway into the cruise ship outbreak, particularly to determine its source.
4. Where did cruise ship hantavirus come from? Investigators in Argentina suspect the cases originally occurred during a bird-watching trip in Ushuaia, on the southern tip of the country, two officials told The Associated Press.
Argentina has seen an increase in hantavirus cases, which many local public health researchers attribute to climate change. Officials reportedly found evidence of the Andean virus, a version of the hantavirus found in South America.
The virus is transmitted by rodents and, more rarely, by humans
5. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that “today at 15:00 CEST there is a media briefing on #hantavirus. You can join and follow via @WHO and my social media channels on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.”
6. The WHO said on Wednesday 6 May that Swiss authorities had confirmed “a case of hantavirus identified in a passenger from the cruise ship MV Hondius”.
“He responded to an email from the ship’s operator informing passengers of a medical event and has arrived at a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland and is receiving care,” the WHO wrote on X.
He added: “In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is working with relevant countries to promote international contact tracing to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further spread of the disease is limited.”
7. Fox News reported Thursday that a cruise ship stricken with the deadly hantavirus is en route to the Canary Islands to allow officials to inspect the vessel.
8. What is Hantavirus? Hantavirus infections are usually associated with environmental exposure (exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents), WHO says.
Meanwhile, the South African government explains that Hantavirus is “a serious and sometimes fatal respiratory disease caused by contact with infected rodents through their droppings, urine or saliva”.
9. Can Hantavirus spread through personal contact? Although rare, hantavirus can spread between people and can lead to severe respiratory illness requiring close patient monitoring, support and response, the WHO said.
“Human-to-human transmission is very rare and only occurs under specific conditions involving very close contact with an infected individual,” the South African government said.
10. Is the risk high to the general public? Global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the germ does not spread easily between people.
“This is not another COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization. “Most people will never be exposed to it.”
