WHO Probes Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship After Three Deaths Reported

Mintesinot Niggusie

The World Health Organization is investigating a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship after three deaths were reported alongside confirmed and suspected infections during a voyage across the South Atlantic.

The alert was first raised on May 2, 2026, when a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness was reported through the United Kingdom’s International Health Regulations focal point. By May 4, health authorities had identified seven cases among 147 passengers and crew, including two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases.

Three deaths have been recorded, alongside one critically ill patient in intensive care and three individuals with milder symptoms. Illness onset dates range from April 6 to April 28, with symptoms including fever, gastrointestinal distress and rapidly progressing respiratory failure in several cases.

Laboratory testing in South Africa confirmed one infection on May 2, while a second case was validated through polymerase chain reaction testing of a critically ill patient who had been medically evacuated from Ascension Island. A further death was reported on May 3.

The vessel, flagged in the Netherlands, departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, and travelled through remote locations across the South Atlantic, including Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island, before being moored off Cabo Verde. Investigations are under way to determine potential exposure sources, including possible contact with rodents or contaminated environments during the voyage or prior to embarkation.

Hantavirus is a rare but severe zoonotic disease typically transmitted through exposure to infected rodents or their droppings. While human-to-human transmission is uncommon, it has been documented in limited cases involving specific virus strains.

The outbreak has prompted a coordinated international response involving Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and the United Kingdom, with WHO supporting surveillance, laboratory testing, case isolation and medical evacuation procedures. Passengers remaining on board have been advised to maintain physical distancing and remain in their cabins where possible.

WHO has assessed the global public health risk as low but said monitoring and epidemiological investigations are ongoing as authorities work to determine the source and transmission dynamics of the outbreak.