WHO Traces Cruise Passengers After Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak

WHO Traces Cruise Passengers After Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak

GENEVA, May 10, 2026 — Health authorities worldwide are attempting to trace dozens of passengers who left an expedition cruise ship before a hantavirus outbreak was confirmed, following reports of five infections and three deaths linked to the voyage, according to the World Health Organization.

The cases were connected to the MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions.

The company said 114 passengers and 61 crew members from 22 countries boarded the vessel for the voyage, which departed from Ushuaia on April 1 and is scheduled to arrive in the Canary Islands on May 10.

Health officials said 32 passengers disembarked on Saint Helena on April 24 before the outbreak was identified, prompting an international effort to locate travellers and anyone who may have had close contact with them afterward.

The WHO said the outbreak was not considered the beginning of a pandemic similar to COVID-19, noting that the hantavirus strain involved appeared to spread mainly through “close, intimate contact” rather than widespread airborne transmission.

However, officials warned that hantavirus infections can have a long incubation period, with symptoms potentially taking up to six weeks to develop after exposure.

Because of the delayed onset, health authorities said additional cases linked to the cruise could emerge in the coming weeks.

Oceanwide Expeditions said it had provided detailed passenger and crew movement records to authorities to assist with contact tracing and epidemiological investigations.

International health agencies are now monitoring the situation closely as the vessel completes its voyage and authorities assess whether further infections are detected among passengers or crew from multiple countries.