Second Hantavirus case confirmed as deaths rise to three following cruise ship outbreak

A second laboratory-confirmed case of hantavirus has been identified following a suspected outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has left three passengers dead.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed the virus in a 69-year-old Dutch woman who died in Johannesburg after disembarking the vessel.

This follows the first confirmed case, a 69-year-old British national who remains in critical condition in a South African intensive care unit.

The outbreak reportedly began while the vessel was sailing from Argentina toward West Africa, with stops at remote South Atlantic locations like St.

Helena and Ascension Island. In total, seven cases—two confirmed and five suspected—have been linked to the ship, including the three fatalities involving a Dutch couple and a German national.

While most hantavirus strains are not known to spread between humans, health officials are investigating the specific variant as they track down passengers from a flight taken by one of the deceased individuals.

Currently, the MV Hondius is anchored off the coast of Cape Verde with approximately 150 passengers and crew still on board.

Local authorities have barred disembarkation while medical teams evaluate the remaining travellers and prepare for the potential evacuation of symptomatic crew members.

Despite the severity of the infections, global health experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) maintain that the overall public health risk to the wider population remains low.