A suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean kills 3 people, WHO says
May 3, 2026, 12:59 PM | Updated: 1:38 pm
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has killed three people and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organization said Sunday.
In a statement to The Associated Press, the WHO said an investigation was ongoing but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed.
One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital, the U.N.’s health agency said, adding that it was working with authorities to evacuate two other passengers with symptoms from the ship.
Hantavirus infections are typically linked to exposure to the feces or urine of infected rodents, WHO said.
WHO didn’t identify the vessel, but South African media reports said the outbreak happened on the MV Hondius cruise ship while it was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa.
The MarineTraffic global shipping website identified the vessel as a Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship. It located it as docked in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday night.
