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4d ago

WHO Confirms Eight Andes Hantavirus Cases Tied to MV Hondius Outbreak

Health agencies judge the public risk low based on limited human transmission.

This aerial picture shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 3, 2026. An outbreak of "severe acute respiratory illness" on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left two people dead and a third in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa's health ministry told AFP on May 3, 2026. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. The patient being treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The World Health Organization, which updated its tally Wednesday, counts eight lab-confirmed Andes infections linked to the MV Hondius, two probable cases and one inconclusive case, with three deaths.
  • In the United States, 36 exposed people are under follow-up, including 16 in quarantine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and two at Emory, with others monitored by state health departments.
  • Officials expect additional passenger cases in the coming weeks because incubation can run up to 42 days, and they rate the risk to the broader public as low.
  • Investigators think the first infection happened before the cruise began, with limited person-to-person spread among close contacts in the ship’s confined spaces.
  • There is no specific antiviral or widely available vaccine, so the response centers on isolation, supportive care, contact tracing, 42-day monitoring and ongoing laboratory testing and sequencing.