Worldwide Scramble to Track Passengers Who Departed Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship Before Outbreak Was Confirmed

Worldwide Scramble to Track Passengers Who Departed Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship Before Outbreak Was Confirmed

Health and government authorities across the globe have launched an urgent effort to locate and monitor dozens of passengers who disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius before officials confirmed a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.

Key Details Emerge About Early Departures

New information revealed on Thursday confirmed that at least 29 passengers representing 12 different nationalities stepped off the MV Hondius on April 24 — following the first recorded death on board — well before any formal isolation protocols were established. This disclosure has set off an international contact-tracing effort to identify these individuals and monitor their movements and health status.

Despite the alarm surrounding the outbreak, the World Health Organization moved quickly to calm public fears. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, was unequivocal in her assessment: "This is not the start of an epidemic. This is not the start of a pandemic. This is not Covid."

Confirmed Cases and Health Risk Assessment

The WHO confirmed that five of eight suspected cases linked to the ship had been verified through testing, while additional cases remain possible. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the Andes virus — the specific strain at the center of this outbreak — carries an incubation period of up to six weeks, meaning further infections could still surface.

"While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low," Ghebreyesus said.

Three people have died as a result of the outbreak, and three individuals who were medically evacuated from the ship — a 41-year-old physician, a 65-year-old German passenger, and Martin Anstee, a 56-year-old British expedition guide — are currently receiving treatment in the Netherlands.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that primarily circulate among rodents but can be transmitted to humans, causing flu-like symptoms, pulmonary syndrome, and potentially fatal respiratory failure. The Andes hantavirus variant is notably distinct because it can spread between humans through close personal contact — though it is considerably less contagious than Covid-19. At present, no approved vaccine exists for hantavirus.

Passengers Scattered Across the Globe

According to Oceanwide Expeditions — the Dutch company that owns and operates the Hondius — the 29 disembarked passengers, along with the remains of the first fatality, were let off at the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena on April 24. The company confirmed that the first verified hantavirus case was not reported until May 4, nearly ten days later.

The passengers who left the ship included six American citizens and seven British nationals, among travelers from Australia, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Spain. A Spanish passenger still aboard the ship described the widespread dispersal to the newspaper El País: "The Australian went back to Australia, the one from Taiwan to Taiwan, the Americans to all corners of North America. The Englishman to England, the Dutch to their homes."

One passenger who traveled to Switzerland tested positive for the virus and is currently being treated at a hospital in Zurich. Swiss health authorities stated there was no risk to the general public. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively monitoring passengers who returned to Georgia, California, and Arizona — none of whom have displayed symptoms so far.

Responses From Countries Around the World

In the United Kingdom, two passengers who returned home and are self-isolating showed no signs of illness, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Chief Scientific Officer Professor Robin May indicated the returning passengers would be asked to self-isolate for a period of 45 days and reassured the broader public: "For people not directly involved in this cruise ship, the risk here is really negligible."

Singapore authorities confirmed two residents who had been aboard the Hondius were isolated and undergoing testing. A Danish passenger was placed in self-quarantine but remained symptom-free, according to the Danish Patient Safety Authority.

Further concern arose in Amsterdam, where a woman who had not been aboard the ship was hospitalized in an isolated ward after displaying hantavirus symptoms. If her test returns positive, she would represent the first known person outside the MV Hondius to contract the virus during this outbreak. Additionally, a KLM flight attendant who came into contact with an infected passenger is being monitored in an Amsterdam hospital isolation ward.

The Ship Heads to the Canary Islands

With 149 people remaining on board, the MV Hondius departed waters near Cape Verde — where it was refused permission to dock — and set course for Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, where it was expected to arrive by midday Sunday.

Spain's Health Minister Mónica García confirmed that the ship would anchor offshore and would not be permitted to dock at the port. Passengers would only be allowed to disembark under strict health protocols, accompanied by medical personnel and full protective equipment, with zero contact with the local population.

"Its stay in Canary Island waters will be the minimum necessary from a health and logistical standpoint," García stated.

EU member nations are expected to begin evacuating their citizens from the Canary Islands starting Monday, May 11. The 14 Spanish nationals aboard — including one crew member — are set to be transferred to the Gómez Ulla military hospital in southwest Madrid.

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, expressed concerns about the central government's decision to allow the vessel into regional waters and requested a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Spain's opposition People's Party also criticized the government over conflicting communications regarding whether quarantine measures would be voluntary or mandatory.

Tracing the Origin of the Outbreak

The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina — a remote city at the southern tip of South America often called the "end of the world" — on April 1, before making stops in Antarctica and various isolated Atlantic islands.

One prevailing theory links the outbreak to a birdwatching excursion undertaken by a Dutch couple in Argentina prior to boarding the ship. Argentina records the highest rate of hantavirus infections in Latin America and has reported approximately 101 cases since June 2025 — roughly double the rate of the previous year. In response, Argentina's health ministry announced plans to conduct rodent trapping and analysis in Ushuaia, where the cruise originated.

The 69-year-old wife of one of the infected passengers flew from Saint Helena to South Africa, briefly transited through Johannesburg on a KLM flight, and was subsequently removed from the aircraft for medical treatment — but did not survive. Contact tracing is now underway for all passengers who shared her flight from Saint Helena.