Seven individuals have contracted a severe virus on a luxury cruise ship carrying British tourists in West African waters, resulting in three fatalities. The World Health Organisation confirmed two laboratory-verified cases and five suspected ones aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, now anchored off the West African coast.
One passenger remains in critical condition, while three others exhibit mild symptoms. A British man who became ill on April 27 disembarked and receives treatment at a private clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. Approximately 150 passengers stay stranded after Cape Verde officials prohibited docking due to safety risks.
Details of the Fatalities
The three deaths include a Dutch couple and a German national. The 70-year-old Dutch man died on St. Helena on April 11, and his 69-year-old wife collapsed at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, passing away in South Africa shortly after. The German passenger died aboard the ship on May 2.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator, notes that hantavirus has not been confirmed as the cause for the Dutch couple’s deaths, nor for the German passenger.
Repatriation Efforts Underway
The ship arranges repatriation for two symptomatic crew members—one British and one Dutch—along with the German national’s body and a symptom-free traveling companion.
Oceanwide Expeditions explores options for screening and disembarking passengers at Las Palmas or Tenerife islands.
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus targets the respiratory system and proves potentially fatal. It spreads primarily through inhaling particles from infected rodent droppings and rarely transmits person-to-person. No specific antiviral treatment exists; medical teams prioritize patient stabilization, often using ventilators for severe cases.
Symptoms emerge one to eight weeks after exposure, starting with flu-like signs such as fatigue and fever.
Unclear Origin of the Outbreak
A spokesperson from the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, aiding the response, indicates the source remains unknown. “You could imagine, for example, that rats on board the ship transmitted the virus,” the spokesperson said. “But another possibility is that during a stop somewhere in South America, people were infected, for instance via mice, and became ill that way.”
Future for Stranded Passengers
The World Health Organisation assesses the public health risk as low, advising against panic or travel restrictions. The MV Hondius embarked from Ushuaia, Argentina, in March for an Antarctic expedition visiting Antarctica, the Falklands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan, St. Helena, Ascension, and Cape Verde waters by May 3. Berths cost between 14,000 and 22,000 euros, approximately £12,000 to £19,000.
US travel blogger Jake Rosmarin, aboard the ship, shared in an emotional video: “We’re not just headlines. We’re people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home.”
