Spain to Receive Cruise Ship After WHO Warns Deadly Hantavirus May Have Spread Between Passengers

The World Health Organization believes limited human-to-human transmission of hantavirus may have occurred among very close contacts aboard an expedition cruise ship in the South Atlantic, including cabin-sharing couples, as Spain agreed to accept the vessel for medical screening and repatriation.

The Details

The Dutch-flagged expedition vessel MV Hondius, carrying roughly 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries, departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026 for an itinerary that included Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. According to WHO's Disease Outbreak News notice, as of 4 May 2026 there were seven confirmed or suspected cases linked to the ship: two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections, three deaths, one critically ill patient, and three additional symptomatic people remaining on board.

Context

Hantavirus is normally transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, or saliva, making suspected close-contact spread between passengers operationally notable. WHO said the infection usually tied to rodents, though rare human-to-human spread has been documented with some Andes virus strains. As a result, passengers were advised to maximize physical distancing, remain in their cabins when possible, and monitor for symptoms for 45 days. Cape Verde did not allow the ship to disembark passengers, and WHO said the Canary Islands were the nearest location with the capacity to receive and manage the medical and disinfection response.

What's Next

Spain's health ministry said its intervention will assess the condition of people on board, determine whether there are more individuals with symptoms, and identify any high-risk or low-risk contacts to guide repatriation decisions. WHO representative in Cabo Verde Ann Lindstrand told CBS News there is no pandemic-level threat and that quarantine decisions would rest with Spanish or Dutch authorities with WHO advice. WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low. The exact hantavirus strain had not been publicly lab-confirmed at the time of reporting, though WHO said Andes virus could be involved, and Spanish authorities had not publicly named the specific Canary Islands port.