Hantavirus outbreak map

As of 09 May 2026 · 01:13 UTC, confirmed cases are limited to passengers and contacts of one cruise ship. The geography below reflects the locations of those cases and of contacts currently under monitoring.

Outbreak totals

Confirmed cases

• South Africa — 2 lab-confirmed cases at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
• Netherlands — 2 confirmed cases (medical evacuation).
• Switzerland — 1 confirmed case after disembarkation.

Deaths

• On board the MV Hondius — 3 deaths during the voyage between 11 April and 2 May.
• Johannesburg (one of the deaths above) — spouse of the first deceased died after disembarking in Saint Helena and being transferred to a Johannesburg hospital.

Contacts under monitoring

• France — 8 nationals on a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg are close contacts of a confirmed case; one had mild symptoms.
• Singapore — 2 residents (67M and 65M) isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases; both tested negative for hantavirus (CDA, 8 May). They remain in 30-day quarantine per CDA protocol.
• Canada — 3 individuals self-isolating at home (2 in Ontario, 1 in Quebec); 4 Canadians remain on board MV Hondius and none are symptomatic, per the Public Health Agency of Canada (8 May).
• United Kingdom — contacts under active monitoring; UKHSA confirmed on 8 May a 45-day post-arrival self-isolation period for all British passengers and crew, with the FCDO chartering a dedicated repatriation flight from Tenerife.
• Saint Helena & Tristan da Cunha — one British national on Tristan da Cunha with suspected hantavirus (UKHSA, 8 May).
• Spain — one suspected case in an Alicante hospital, isolated after sharing a flight with a Hondius passenger; samples sent to the National Microbiology Centre (Spain Ministry of Health, 8 May).
• United States — 6 states monitoring 9 residents total (including Texas, Georgia, Arizona, California, Virginia, and New Jersey); 17 Americans to quarantine at Nebraska Medicine's National Quarantine Unit; 2 NJ residents under monitoring after flight contact (not ship passengers); CDC EOC Level 3.

Endemic regions (background)

The Andes virus is endemic in southern South America: Argentina, Chile, with detections in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Other hantavirus strains are endemic across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The natural rodent reservoir of Andes virus is not present in Europe, North America, or Asia (ECDC, 6 May 2026).

Notes on the map

This online map colours countries by severity: red for confirmed cases, yellow for suspected cases, light grey for contacts under monitoring without confirmed cases. Tap or click any bubble to see the country name, case counts, and the source.