Authorities globally are in a rapid effort to trace dozens of passengers who disembarked from the MV Hondius cruise ship before isolation protocols were enforced, following a deadly hantavirus outbreak. It was revealed on Thursday that at least 29 passengers, representing 12 nationalities, left the vessel on April 24 after the first fatality, triggering an urgent search to track their subsequent movements. Despite the alarm, the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphatically stated that this incident does not signal the beginning of a Covid-scale epidemic or pandemic. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, stressed that the public health risk is low.

Of the eight suspected cases linked to the ship, five have been confirmed. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that given the Andes virus's incubation period, which can extend up to six weeks, more cases might emerge. Hantaviruses are typically found in rodents but can infect humans, leading to flu-like symptoms, pulmonary syndrome, and potentially fatal respiratory failure. The Andes hantavirus, a strain capable of human-to-human transmission through very close contact, is significantly less contagious than Covid-19, and currently, no vaccines exist.

The outbreak has resulted in three fatalities. Three individuals displaying symptoms were medically evacuated and are currently receiving treatment in the Netherlands: a 41-year-old doctor, a 65-year-old German passenger, and Martin Anstee, a 56-year-old British expedition guide. Furthermore, a woman in Amsterdam, who was not aboard the ship, is being tested for hantavirus in an isolated ward, potentially marking the first known infection outside the MV Hondius.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch cruise company operating the MV Hondius, confirmed that 29 people, along with the body of the first fatality, disembarked in Saint Helena on April 24. The first confirmed hantavirus case, however, was not reported until May 4. The company stated that the disembarked passengers, including six US and seven British citizens, have been contacted, with most believed to have returned to their home countries. Specific individuals include a man being treated in a Zurich hospital after testing positive, with Swiss authorities confirming no public risk. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring passengers who traveled to Georgia, California, and Arizona, none of whom have shown symptoms. In the UK, two self-isolating passengers have no symptoms but have been advised to self-isolate for 45 days. Singaporean and Danish officials are also monitoring their respective citizens from the cruise.

The MV Hondius, with 149 people still aboard, was denied docking permission in Cape Verde and subsequently headed for Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, expressed concerns over allowing the ship into their waters, requesting a meeting with the Spanish prime minister. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García assured that there was no public health threat and confirmed the ship would remain at anchor, not docking in port. Passengers will be evaluated onboard, and disembarkation will only occur for transfer or repatriation, strictly with protective equipment and without public contact. EU nations are expected to begin evacuating their citizens from May 11, with 14 Spanish nationals, including one crew member, being transferred to a military hospital in Madrid. Spain's opposition party criticized the government for seemingly mixed messages regarding voluntary versus mandatory quarantine procedures.

The vessel began its journey on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina. A 70-year-old Dutch man developed symptoms on April 6 and died five days later; his death was initially attributed to natural causes. His body was removed on April 24 at Saint Helena. His 69-year-old Dutch wife flew to South Africa, briefly transferred to a KLM flight, and was then taken off for treatment, where she later died. A KLM stewardess who had contact with her is now in isolation. The body of a German passenger, who developed a fever on April 28 and died on May 2, remains on the ship.

One theory links the outbreak to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina undertaken by the Dutch couple before boarding the Hondius. Argentina has Latin America's highest incidence of hantavirus, with 101 infections reported since June 2025, approximately double the previous year's figures. Argentina's health ministry plans to conduct rodent trapping and analysis in Ushuaia, the cruise's departure point.