Indian Crew Among Those On Board As Hantavirus Outbreak Probe Continues

Two Indian crew members are among 149 people onboard the luxury expedition vessel MV Hondius, which is currently grappling with a deadly Hantavirus outbreak in the Atlantic Ocean.

Health authorities are investigating a number of suspected hantavirus-related illnesses linked to passengers travelling aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius during its journey through the southern Atlantic. The vessel had called at several destinations during the voyage.

Authorities say five confirmed and three suspected cases of hantavirus infection have now been linked to a voyage aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition ship MV Hondius, which departed Argentina on April 1. Three people connected to the outbreak have died as investigations into the source of the infections continue.

The voyage, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, set off from Ushuaia on 1 April and is scheduled to conclude in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10. However, the president of the Canary Islands has said he will not permit passengers from the cruise ship to disembark there, rejecting plans announced by Spain’s prime minister to allow the vessel to dock.

Around 150 passengers and crew representing 28 nationalities were initially on board the expedition vessel. However, dozens are understood to have disembarked during a stop at Saint Helena on April 24.

What Is Known So Far

The World Health Organisation said the outbreak linked to the cruise ship should not be compared with the emergence of Covid-19 six years ago. At a briefing, WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”, rather than in the way coronavirus spread globally during the pandemic.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the organisation had been informed by the UK of a group of passengers with severe respiratory symptoms aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which is travelling from Cape Verde towards the Spanish island of Tenerife. He described the situation as serious but said the WHO’s assessment of the public health risk remained low. According to the agency, eight cases have been identified so far, including three deaths, with five confirmed infections and three additional suspected cases.

Those who have died include a 69-year-old Dutch woman confirmed to have had the virus, alongside her Dutch husband and a German woman. The circumstances surrounding the additional two deaths are still under investigation.

International Contact Tracing Under Way

Authorities across the UK, South Africa, the Netherlands, the US and Switzerland are tracking passengers who left the cruise ship during a stop at Saint Helena on April 24. At least 30 passengers — including British, US, Dutch, Canadian, Swiss and Turkish nationals — disembarked on the island.

The World Health Organisation has informed 12 countries whose nationals were among those who left the vessel in Saint Helena. These are Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, and the United States.

In the UK, returning travellers have been advised to self-isolate for 45 days, while officials in Singapore are monitoring residents who were on board. In the US, health authorities are tracking passengers in Georgia and Arizona.

Efforts are also focused on passengers who took a flight on April 25 from Saint Helena to Johannesburg alongside an infected traveller.

Cruise ships are often described as "floating cities" due to their high population density and shared environments, which can facilitate the rapid spread of infectious diseases. The outbreak on the MV Hondius has highlighted the unique risks of cruise travel, particularly regarding rare pathogens.

What Is Known About Hantavirus

• Hantavirus infections in humans are rare, but can be severe or fatal when they do occur. Most cases arise from exposure to infected rodents or contact with their urine, droppings or saliva.

• Before boarding the cruise, the first two victims had been on a birdwatching trip across Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, including visits to areas known to be inhabited by rodents carrying the virus. Argentine authorities are now reviewing their movements.

• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Argentina will send 2,500 diagnostic kits to laboratories across five countries to support testing efforts.

• Health agencies, including the World Health Organisation, say person-to-person transmission can occur in rare cases through close contact, such as between partners.

• The WHO has identified the strain involved as the Andes variant of hantavirus, which is unusual in that it can spread between people through close personal contact, unlike most other strains.

• Even so, health experts stress that transmission is far less efficient than airborne viruses such as influenza or Covid-19.

• Human infection remains extremely uncommon, with no previous recorded outbreak linked to a cruise ship. Data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows 890 confirmed cases in the United States between 1993 and 2023.

(With inputs from various sources)

FAQs

What is happening?
Health authorities are investigating a cluster of hantavirus cases linked to passengers aboard a cruise voyage in the southern Atlantic.

How many cases are there?
Eight cases have been identified so far, including five confirmed infections and three deaths.

Where did the ship travel?
The vessel departed Argentina and called at several locations, including Saint Helena.

Is there a risk of wider spread?
The World Health Organization has assessed the public health risk as low.

How is the outbreak being contained?
Countries including the UK, US and others are carrying out contact tracing and monitoring passengers who disembarked.

How is hantavirus usually spread?
It is mainly transmitted through contact with infected rodents, though limited person-to-person spread is possible with certain strains.