MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak
A cruise-ship hantavirus cluster, day by day.
The MV Hondius is a Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship. It departed Ushuaia, Argentina on 1 April 2026 with 147 people on board. What follows is a chronological reconstruction of the outbreak, drawn from the WHO Disease Outbreak News, the ECDC threat assessment, and reporting in the press. Each event links to its primary source.
The vessel
- Name: MV Hondius (Dutch-flagged expedition cruise vessel).
- People on board: 147–149, including 88 passengers and 59 crew, from 23 nationalities (WHO).
- Itinerary: Ushuaia, Antarctica, South Georgia, Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Cabo Verde.
- Pre-boarding exposure: ECDC's working hypothesis is exposure to Andes virus in Argentina, where the rodent reservoir is endemic, before embarkation.
Cases by country
| ISO | Country | Conf. | Susp. | Deaths | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZA | South Africa | 2 | 1 | 1 | Lab-confirmed cases (NICD). One death after disembarkation in a Johannesburg hospital. |
| NL | Netherlands | 2 | · | 2 | Two lab-confirmed cases (medical evacuation); two on-board deaths attributed by ship flag state. |
| CH | Switzerland | 1 | · | · | Lab-confirmed case after disembarkation |
| FR | France | · | 1 | · | Symptomatic contact under monitoring |
| SH | Saint Helena & Tristan da Cunha | · | 1 | · | British national on Tristan da Cunha with suspected hantavirus; exposed during MV Hondius call at the island 13–15 April (UKHSA, 8 May). |
| ES | Spain | · | 1 | · | Suspected case in Alicante: woman hospitalised in isolation after sharing a flight with a Hondius passenger who later died in Johannesburg. |
| SG | Singapore | · | · | · | Both residents under monitoring at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases tested PCR-negative for hantavirus (8 May 2026); remain in 30-day quarantine per CDA protocol. |
| CA | Canada | · | · | · | Three Canadians self-isolating (two in Ontario, one in Quebec); four Canadians remain on board MV Hondius and none are symptomatic. |
| GB | United Kingdom | · | · | · | Contacts under monitoring |
| US | United States | · | · | · | 6 US states monitoring 9 residents; 17 Americans quarantining at Nebraska Medicine National Quarantine Unit; 2 NJ residents monitoring after flight contact (not ship passengers); CDC EOC Level 3. |
| AR | Argentina | · | · | · | Investigation of possible exposure source |
| CL | Chile | · | · | · | Investigation of possible exposure source |
| CV | Cabo Verde | · | · | · | Ship anchored 3-6 May; no community transmission |
Timeline
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UKHSA reports a third suspected case in a British national on Tristan da Cunha and stands up isolation arrangements for British nationals returning from the ship. (UKHSA)
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Spain's interior ministry confirms evacuation plan: MV Hondius expected offshore Tenerife on 10 May; tender-boat evacuations begin 11 May with the ship remaining anchored offshore. (Spain MoI via Reuters)
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CBS News reports five US states (including Georgia Arizona and California) are monitoring residents who were on the MV Hondius. (CBS News)
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Spain reports its first suspected hantavirus case: a woman hospitalised in isolation in Alicante after sharing a flight with a Hondius passenger who later died in Johannesburg; samples sent to the National Microbiology Centre. (Spain Ministry of Health via RTÉ)
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UKHSA confirms a 45-day post-arrival self-isolation period for all British passengers and crew of the MV Hondius; the FCDO charters a dedicated repatriation flight from Tenerife. (UKHSA)
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RIVM reports that the three airplane-contact tests in the Netherlands have all returned negative for Andes virus. (RIVM)
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Spain confirms 14 Spanish nationals from MV Hondius will undergo up to 45 days of quarantine at Madrid's Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla per Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla. (Padilla via Euronews)
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US CDC dispatches teams to meet American passengers from MV Hondius in the Canary Islands and at Nebraska's National Quarantine Unit; about 17 Americans are on board per Oceanwide Expeditions. (CDC via CNN)
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Public Health Agency of Canada confirms three Canadians (two in Ontario and one in Quebec) are self-isolating at home with no symptoms; four Canadians remain on board MV Hondius and consular officials are heading to the Canary Islands. (PHAC via CBC News)
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WHO reaffirms the wider hantavirus outbreak risk is 'absolutely low' as the global tally reaches 8 cases (5 laboratory-confirmed and 3 suspected) and 3 deaths; a KLM flight attendant in close contact with the index case tests negative. (UN News)
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New Jersey Department of Health confirms two NJ residents under monitoring after sharing a flight abroad with a confirmed MV Hondius case; neither is symptomatic and no hantavirus cases have been identified in New Jersey. (NJDOH)
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Singapore CDA confirms both residents under monitoring at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases tested PCR-negative for hantavirus; they remain in 30-day quarantine per protocol. (Singapore CDA)
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RIVM confirms all three aircraft contacts of the Dutch confirmed case tested negative for Andes virus; the KLM flight attendant who assisted the Dutch case also tests negative. (RIVM)
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UK government charters a repatriation flight for 22 British nationals from Tenerife on 10 May; UKHSA and FCDO officials will meet the ship on arrival to carry out health assessments. (UKHSA)
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CDC confirms 17 American passengers from MV Hondius will quarantine at Nebraska Medicine's National Quarantine Unit; six US states now monitor nine residents in total, none symptomatic. (CDC via NBC News)
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Ship leaves Cabo Verde for the Canary Islands. Contact tracing active in eight countries. WHO advises against travel restrictions. (UN News)
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US CDC activates its Emergency Operations Center and classifies the response as Level 3 (the lowest level of emergency activation); situation actively monitored. (CDC EOC)
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WHO deploys an expert aboard MV Hondius and arranges shipment of 2500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to laboratories in five countries to strengthen testing capacity. (WHO)
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BBC News reports a University of Bath team (Prof. Asel Sartbaeva and the Ensilitech spinout) developing an mRNA hantavirus vaccine using ensilication; pre-clinical stage with Phase 1 trials targeted next. (BBC News)
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PAHO publishes a statement supporting international coordination on the MV Hondius cluster and announces a regional preparedness training workshop for June 2026 in Panama. (PAHO)
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Singapore CDA activates public health measures for two Singapore residents (67 and 65 years old) who shared a 25 April flight from St Helena to Johannesburg with a confirmed case; both isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases pending PCR results. (Singapore CDA)
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ECDC publishes threat assessment for the EU/EEA. Risk: very low. Three patients evacuated to the Netherlands. (ECDC)
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UK Foreign Secretary issues statement on the hantavirus outbreak coordinating with WHO FCDO and Dutch authorities for the safe repatriation of British nationals. (FCDO)
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Argentine health ministry publishes a report detailing the index case's four-month travel itinerary across Chile Uruguay and Argentina from 27 November 2025 to 1 April 2026 and dispatches Malbrán Institute teams to Ushuaia for rodent sampling. (Argentine Ministry of Health)
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WHO publishes Disease Outbreak News 2026-DON599: 7 cases (2 lab-confirmed and 5 suspected) and 3 deaths. Global risk assessment: low. (WHO DON 599)
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Ship arrives at Praia (Cabo Verde). Passengers cannot disembark. (WHO DON 599)
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Third death on board. WHO receives the official report; ICAO and partner agencies notified.",WHO DON 599 (https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599)
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Final symptom-onset date in the cluster (illness onsets span 6-28 April). (WHO DON 599)
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Spouse of first deceased dies in a Johannesburg hospital. (Wikipedia: MV Hondius)
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Approximately 30 passengers disembark in Saint Helena. Body of first deceased airlifted; spouse leaves the ship. (Wikipedia: MV Hondius)
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MV Hondius calls at Tristan da Cunha (13–15 April); a British national on the island later develops suspected hantavirus. (SCMP)
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First death on board. Initially attributed to natural causes. (Wikipedia: MV Hondius)
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First passenger develops symptoms. (WHO DON 599)
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MV Hondius departs Ushuaia (Argentina) with 147 people on board (88 passengers and 59 crew from 23 nationalities). (WHO DON 599)
What WHO and ECDC have said
On 8 May the WHO reaffirmed the wider outbreak risk as "absolutely low", with a global tally of 8 cases (5 laboratory-confirmed and 3 suspected) and 3 deaths; a KLM flight attendant in close contact with the index case tested negative. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Maria Van Kerkhove framed the cluster on 7 May as fundamentally different from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The underlying formal assessments came earlier: the WHO assessed the global risk as low on 4 May in Disease Outbreak News 2026-DON599 and advised against travel or trade restrictions; the ECDC assessed the EU/EEA risk as very low on 6 May, noting that the natural rodent reservoir of Andes virus is not present in Europe. Both agencies emphasized that person-to-person transmission of Andes virus is rare and requires close, sustained contact.
What happens next
MV Hondius is expected offshore Tenerife on 10 May; passengers will transfer ashore via tender boats while the ship remains at anchor. Spain is coordinating disembarkation for passengers of 22 nationalities. Spanish nationals will quarantine at Madrid's Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla (Spain Ministry of Health, 8 May). The UK FCDO chartered a dedicated repatriation flight; all returning British passengers face a 45-day self-isolation period (UKHSA, 8 May). The US CDC dispatched teams to the Canary Islands and to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to receive approximately 17 Americans from the ship (CDC via CNN, 8 May). Contact tracing is active in more than a dozen countries; all contacts will be monitored for 45 days given the extended hantavirus pulmonary syndrome incubation period.
Last rebuilt 09 May 2026 · 01:13 UTC. Each timeline event and country row links to its primary source.