Outbreak — Real-Time Epidemic Surveillance

Hantavirus Cases (MV Hondius)

8

Confirmed Deaths

3

Case Fatality Rate

37.5%

Countries Exposed

23+

Global Outbreaks Tracked

8

MV Hondius Hantavirus Situation Room — Andes Virus (ANDV) CRITICAL

Ship Status En Route Tenerife

Vessel

MV Hondius

Operator

Oceanwide Expeditions

Departed

Ushuaia, Apr 1

Current Heading

Tenerife, Canary Is.

ETA

May 10–11

People Onboard

~150

Symptomatic Now

0

Nationalities

23

Case Summary

Suspected Cases

8

PCR Confirmed

5

Deaths

3

Evacuated

3

In ICU

2

Strain

Andes (ANDV)

Andes virus is the only hantavirus with confirmed human-to-human transmission. CFR for ANDV-associated HPS is historically ~40%. WHO overall risk assessment: Low (general public), Moderate (close contacts).

Epidemic Curve — Onset by Date

Bars show new case onsets (orange) and deaths (red) by date

Event Timeline

Apr 1 MV Hondius departs Ushuaia, Argentina. 114 guests + crew aboard. Expedition visits Antarctica, South Georgia.

Apr 6 Index case: 70-year-old Dutch male develops fever, headache, diarrhea.

Apr 11 Index case dies after acute respiratory distress. Cause unclear at this point.

Apr 24 Ship reaches Saint Helena. Body removed. 30 guests disembark, including deceased's 69-year-old wife.

Apr 25 Wife becomes symptomatic during return flight Johannesburg → Netherlands.

Apr 26 Wife dies in Johannesburg hospital. Samples sent for testing.

Apr 28 German female passenger (65) develops fever onboard.

May 2 German passenger dies (pneumonia). British male (56) evacuated to South Africa — enters ICU.

May 4 Hantavirus (Andes strain) confirmed in Dutch wife's samples. Ship anchored off Cape Verde. 3 more suspected cases identified.

May 6 3 patients evacuated: British doctor (56, ICU), Dutch national (41), German national (65). Ship departs Cape Verde for Canary Islands.

May 7 Evacuees arrive Amsterdam. All onboard passengers/crew asymptomatic. Ship ETA Tenerife: May 10–11. Spain quarantine plans in effect.

Last update: May 7, 2026 — Sources: Oceanwide Expeditions, WHO DON, CBC, Bloomberg, Africa CDC

Active Cases Ship Route Strain Endemic Zones

Active hantavirus cases

Strain endemic zone

Ship route / waypoint

Evacuee destination

Known Pathogenic Strains

10+

Est. Global Cases / Year

~60,000

HPS CFR (Americas)

30–50%

HFRS CFR (Eurasia)

1–15%

About Hantaviruses

Hantaviruses are a family of RNA viruses in the order Bunyavirales, family Hantaviridae. They are carried by rodents (mice, rats, voles) and transmitted to humans primarily through inhalation of aerosolized excreta (urine, droppings, saliva). Hantaviruses cause two major clinical syndromes:

Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) — primarily Old World (Eurasia). Caused by Hantaan, Seoul, Dobrava, Puumala viruses. CFR 1–15%. Characterized by fever, hemorrhage, renal failure.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS/HCPS) — exclusively New World (Americas). Caused by Sin Nombre, Andes, Laguna Negra, and others. CFR 30–50%. Rapid onset of pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.

Andes virus (ANDV) is the only hantavirus with documented human-to-human transmission, observed in close contacts in Argentina and Chile. All other hantaviruses transmit solely from rodent to human. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment approved. Care is supportive.

Strain Database — Global Hantavirus Species

Origin

Ushuaia, Argentina

Spread Distance

~8,000 km

Days Since Index Case

31

Countries with Exposed Nationals

23+

MV Hondius — Geographic Diffusion Chain

Transmission Chain & Contact Dispersion

The Andes virus originated in Patagonia / Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). The index case was likely exposed to rodent excreta at an expedition site before boarding in Ushuaia. The confined ship environment enabled rare person-to-person transmission of the Andes strain. As passengers disembark and evacuees are transferred, potential exposure points spread across multiple continents.

Ushuaia, Argentina

Apr 1 — Embarkation

Origin

↓ Onboard transmission (confined environment)

Antarctica / South Georgia

Apr 1–10 — Expedition landings

Exposure window

↓ Index case dies onboard Apr 11

Tristan da Cunha

Apr 18 — Shore visit

No cases reported

↓

Saint Helena

Apr 24 — 30 pax disembark

Contacts dispersed

↓ Wife flies to Johannesburg, dies Apr 26

Johannesburg, South Africa

Apr 25–26 — Transit + death

1 death

↓ Ship continues north across Atlantic

Cape Verde

May 4–6 — Ship anchored

3 evacuated

↓ Evacuees to Europe

Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 7 — Evacuees arrive

2 in hospital

Gran Canaria (emergency stop)

May 6 — Refuel after Morocco denied landing

Transit

↓ Ship heading to Tenerife

Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain)

~May 10–11 — ETA

Quarantine planned

Passenger Dispersion Risk

23 nationalities represented onboard. Upon arrival at Tenerife, Spain plans to quarantine 13–14 Spanish nationals in Madrid. Other foreign passengers to be repatriated. 30 passengers already disembarked at Saint Helena on Apr 24 — contacts being traced across multiple countries.

Americans Onboard

17

Spanish Onboard

13–14

Disembarked (St Helena)

30

Evacuated (Medical)

3

Andes Virus — H2H Transmission Profile

Andes virus is unique among hantaviruses in its documented capacity for person-to-person spread. Studies from Argentina (1996–2019) show secondary attack rates of 3–10% among household/close contacts. Incubation period: 7–39 days (median 18 days). This extended incubation window means exposed passengers from the MV Hondius could develop symptoms weeks after disembarkation.

R₀ estimate: 0.3–1.1 in close-contact settings (shipboard environment may amplify).
Serial interval: ~20 days
Infectious period: ~5 days (prodromal + early cardiopulmonary phase)

Why This Outbreak Matters

1. Unprecedented maritime vector. This is the first documented hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. The confined environment, shared ventilation, and prolonged close contact create conditions never seen in previous ANDV outbreaks (typically rural/household clusters in Patagonia).

2. Multi-continental exposure. Unlike previous Andes virus clusters (localized to Argentine/Chilean Patagonia), this event has dispersed potentially exposed individuals across 23+ nationalities and at least 4 continents. Contact tracing is unprecedented in complexity.

3. Long incubation. ANDV incubation can extend to 39 days. The 30 passengers who disembarked at Saint Helena on April 24 remain within the incubation window until late May. Secondary cases could emerge in any of their home countries.

4. No vaccine, no antiviral. Treatment is entirely supportive. CFR for HPS remains ~40% even with intensive care.

Active Outbreaks

8

Critical Risk

1

High Risk

3

Countries Affected

40+