Hantavirus global alert: US, Singapore among nations monitoring passengers of luxury cruise

Triggering memories of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic rerun, a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius has sparked an international health response, with passengers now being monitored or treated across multiple countries including the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, South Africa, and the Netherlands. 

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The World Health Organization (WHO) said May 7 that five confirmed infections have been identified among people connected to the vessel, as authorities scramble to trace passengers who dispersed globally before the outbreak was fully understood. 

Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — have died since the ship departed Argentina last month, turning what began as a luxury Antarctic expedition into one of the most closely watched infectious disease incidents in recent years. 

How the outbreak unfolded onboard MV Hondius 

The first suspected case involved a 70-year-old Dutch passenger who suddenly developed fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea while onboard, according to South Africa’s Health Department. He died aboard the vessel on April 11. 

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His wife later died in South Africa after being medically evacuated, while a German passenger also succumbed during the voyage. 

The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said 146 passengers and crew members from 23 countries remain onboard under “strict precautionary measures.” While several passengers disembarked earlier at the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, others were airlifted to Europe for emergency treatment. 

The remaining passengers are expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands this weekend before being repatriated to their home countries under medical supervision. 

Countries race to monitor exposed passengers 

Netherlands: Three people linked to the outbreak have arrived in the Netherlands for treatment, including a British passenger, a 65-year-old German national, and a 41-year-old Dutch crew member. Two are reportedly in serious condition. 

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Dutch authorities are also testing a woman in Amsterdam after possible exposure tied to the ship. Local media reported she is a KLM airline crew member who had contact with a Dutch passenger who later died in South Africa. If confirmed positive, she would become the first known non-passenger linked to the outbreak. 

South Africa: One British national who fell ill onboard on April 27 was transferred to a private hospital in Johannesburg, where he remains in intensive care. WHO said his condition is improving. 

South African authorities were among the first to identify the suspected Andes strain hantavirus involved in the outbreak — the only known hantavirus variant capable of limited human-to-human transmission. 

Switzerland: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed on May 6 that a passenger who had returned to Switzerland after leaving the ship tested positive and is undergoing treatment in Zurich. 

United Kingdom: The UK Health Security Agency said two British nationals who left the vessel at Saint Helena are isolating at home as a precaution after possible exposure. 

Officials are also monitoring five additional British nationals linked to the ship, while contact tracing efforts continue for another passenger who has not yet returned to the UK. 

United States: US health authorities are monitoring at least three people, who returned home after leaving the vessel earlier in the voyage. 

Officials in Georgia said two residents are under observation but remain symptom-free, while authorities in Arizona confirmed another individual is asymptomatic. Reports also suggest other American passengers have returned to Texas and Virginia. 

Singapore: Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency said two men in their 60s are currently self-isolating and undergoing testing for hantavirus. One of them has developed a runny nose but is otherwise well, while the second individual remains asymptomatic. 

Why the outbreak has triggered global alert 

Hantavirus is typically transmitted through exposure to infected rodent urine, saliva, or droppings and is not considered highly contagious between humans. However, the suspected Andes strain has alarmed health authorities because it is the only known variant capable of limited person-to-person spread. 

The fact that passengers left the ship and traveled internationally before the outbreak was fully recognized has prompted comparisons to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, though experts stress the overall public health risk remains significantly lower. 

Oceanwide Expeditions said it is now attempting to trace “all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops” since March 20 amid fears that the virus may already have spread across multiple continents.