A Dutch cruise ship carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew is stranded off the coast of Cape Verde after a suspected hantavirus outbreak killed three people and left others critically ill.
The MV Hondius departed Argentina on April 1 on a multi-week polar expedition. A Dutch couple were among the first victims — the husband died aboard ship in mid-April, while his wife collapsed at a Johannesburg airport and later died, subsequently testing positive for hantavirus. A British passenger evacuated to South Africa also tested positive and remains in critical condition.
Cape Verde has refused to allow the ship to dock, citing public health concerns, though it has sent a medical team aboard. Two crew members with respiratory symptoms require urgent evacuation. Oceanwide Expeditions said it may redirect the vessel to the Spanish Canary Islands if Cape Verde cannot facilitate evacuations.
The WHO confirmed it is conducting a full risk assessment and coordinating a multinational response. Hantavirus, spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, has no specific cure, though early treatment improves survival odds. Officials emphasized that person-to-person transmission is rare and the risk to the general public remains low.
