90-Second Read: Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship expected to arrive in the Netherlands

A cruise ship hit by a Hantavirus outbreak is set to arrive in the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday. Three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. The Hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius is the first known case on a cruise ship.

The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026. The outbreak on the ship has reached 11 cases, nine of which have been confirmed. The Public Health Agency of Canada said one of the four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship had tested positive Sunday and it would share information on the case with the World Health Organization.

Crew members who are unable to return home will be quarantined in the Netherlands, the Dutch health ministry said last week. Some two dozen passengers and crew are already in quarantine in the Netherlands, after arriving in the country on a series of flights over the previous two weeks. Eighteen Americans are currently under observation at specialized healthcare facilities in the United States designed to treat people with dangerous infectious diseases.