The MV Hondius is a polar expedition ship that left Ushuaia, the world's southernmost port, heading toward the Antarctic. However, when it reached the warm Atlantic waters off Praia, Cape Verde, three passengers had died and a dangerous virus was spreading on board.
The first victim was a 70-year-old man who fell ill while the ship crossed the ocean. He died when the ship arrived at Saint Helena. His 69-year-old wife became ill too and died at a hospital in Johannesburg. A third passenger also died, and a fourth person is in intensive care. Two crew members show symptoms of the illness.
On Sunday, 3 May, the World Health Organization announced the outbreak. Six people have been affected. One case was confirmed as hantavirus, a virus that normally spreads through contact with infected rodents on land. Person-to-person transmission is extremely rare. Only the Andes virus strain, found in Argentina and Chile, has ever spread between humans. The severe pulmonary form kills about 40% of infected people, and there is no specific cure.
A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship is almost unprecedented. The ship began its voyage in Antarctica, the only region where human-to-human transmission occurs. It travelled north through South Georgia and Saint Helena, heading toward the Canary Islands when the illness forced it to stop. Now the Hondius remains at anchor off Praia while health officials and epidemiologists coordinate an evacuation and medical response.