90-Second Read: Public Health Alerts: Andes Hantavirus on a cruise ship, 2026

A Public Health Alerts report today provides detailed information on 10 of the 11 cases of Andes Hantavirus infection on passengers of the MV Hondius cruise ship, including the first passenger who contracted the disease after the index patient. Three of the 10 patients died, and two of the other seven remain hospitalized after infection with the Andes strain of the virus (ANDV), which is the only Hantavirus strain known to transmit among people. The Public Health Alerts report notes that patient 3 first experienced pneumonia symptoms, including shortness of breath and fever, on April 21. The case not detailed in the report involves a Canadian passenger who tested "presumed positive" late last week.

Given this information, samples from patient 3 were sent to a South African lab, where Hantavirus was confirmed. All cases to date have been among passengers or crew on board the ship." They add, "The situation is evolving, and the World Health Organization and European Center for Disease Prevention and Control assess the global risk as low. So far no cases have been identified in anyone other than passengers on the Dutch cruise ship. The report was also published on both the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Evidence sites.

The index patient, a Dutch ornithologist, first had symptoms April 6 and died on board the ship on April 11. His wife, described in today's report as patient 2, first became ill April 24 and died two days later. A virtual consultation was held on May 2 with medical specialists from South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Holland to discuss the potential link to the two recent deaths tied to the MV Hondius excursion. Everyday activities like opening windows and running kitchen fans triggered reverse air flow in bathroom vents, spreading the virus to other units.

The other seven patients first became ill from April 27 to May 12. Both patient 3 and patient 7 remain hospitalized, with the former in the intensive care unit in Johannesburg and the latter in a hospital in Switzerland. Study finds that prescriptions of ivermectin and benzimidazole surged in the first 6 months of 2025.