Hantavirus outbreak: Another cruise passenger infected

An enhanced microscopic image shows the Hantavirus.

A second passenger from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak has been confirmed infected. The disease has already claimed three lives on board and triggered an international alert coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The male passenger had been travelling on the Dutch-flagged vessel Hondius, which is at the centre of the outbreak. He is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Zurich after returning to Switzerland following contact with the ship’s operator.

In line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO said it is working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing. The aim is to monitor potentially exposed individuals and prevent further spread of the disease.

As of Wednesday, three of the ship’s 147 passengers have died since the vessel departed Argentina on a transatlantic voyage and later anchored off the coast of Cabo Verde, according to the WHO.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said three passengers had recently been evacuated from the ship and were being transported to the Netherlands for treatment. He added that the overall public health risk remains low.

Public records show the Hondius was built in Croatia and launched in June 2018. The 108-metre expedition vessel can carry up to 196 passengers and 72 crew members. It is registered under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with identification number 9818709.

The ship is named after 17th-century Dutch cartographer and engraver Jodocus Hondius. Its maiden voyage in 2019 took it from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen in the Arctic.

The WHO said some infections may have occurred before passengers boarded. So far, eight cases have been identified, including three confirmed as Andes hantavirus through laboratory testing.

On Tuesday, the agency said one patient was in intensive care in South Africa but was showing signs of improvement. Multiple international institutions, including the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and Geneva University Hospitals, are involved in identifying the virus, along with support from laboratories in Argentina and Senegal.

WHO officials said the priority is to evacuate remaining ill passengers and ensure they receive proper medical care. Once the ship reaches the Canary Islands, Spanish authorities are expected to conduct a full epidemiological investigation and disinfect the vessel before assessing risks for remaining passengers.

As a precaution, passengers onboard have been asked to stay in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures continue.