SouthernWorldwide.com – Three individuals suspected of contracting the hantavirus have been evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius and are en route to the Netherlands for medical treatment, the World Health Organization announced on Wednesday. The affected individuals are of German, Dutch, and British nationalities, with the latter being a crew member, according to WHO reports.
This rare outbreak of the virus has tragically resulted in three fatalities thus far.
In a developing situation, the leader of the Canary Islands has reversed a previous decision and will not permit the ship to dock in their territory, adding to the distress of the approximately 150 passengers aboard.
The initial plan, which was collaboratively arranged by the Spanish government and the WHO, had been for the ship to proceed to the Canary Islands for a comprehensive investigation and inspection following the evacuation of the three patients.
However, Fernando Clavijo, the head of the regional government of the archipelago, announced his rejection of this plan on Wednesday. He has formally requested a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
A general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images
In a social media statement released on Wednesday, Clavijo, who is affiliated with the conservative opposition, expressed, “The Canary Islands always acts with responsibility, but it cannot accept decisions taken behind the backs of the Canary Islands institutions and without sufficient information to the population.”
A flight intended to transport the ship’s doctor, who has fallen ill, to the Canary Islands has been canceled, a source close to the regional presidency informed the French news agency AFP on Wednesday.
Spain’s health ministry later announced that the patients would instead receive treatment in the Netherlands.
This development comes as South African authorities confirmed on Wednesday the identification of the Andes strain of the hantavirus in two individuals who had previously been on the cruise. The Andes strain, predominantly found in Argentina and Chile, is notable for its potential for human-to-human transmission, a characteristic not shared by other hantavirus strains.
Also on Wednesday, Swiss authorities reported that a man who had traveled on the ship and returned to Switzerland in late April has also tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus. They stated that there is currently no risk to the Swiss public.
Furthermore, the French Ministry of Health has confirmed to BFM TV that a French “contact case” has been identified. This individual is believed to have been on the same flight as one of the two patients evacuated to Johannesburg for treatment in late April.
Currently, one British national in South Africa is in intensive care. French authorities are likely referring to the other patient evacuated to Johannesburg: a 69-year-old Dutch woman who disembarked the ship presenting with “gastrointestinal symptoms” on April 24. She passed away two days later after her condition significantly worsened during a flight to Johannesburg, according to the WHO.
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This brings the total number of suspected or confirmed cases to nine: three deceased, five confirmed and receiving treatment, and the Frenchman, about whom limited details have been released.
The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, stated that two infectious disease specialists are en route from the Netherlands to the ship and will remain onboard after its expected departure from Cape Verde.
The MV Hontius, a Dutch-flagged luxury cruise liner, embarked on its journey from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. It has been anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, an island off the west coast of Africa, since Sunday.
Ann Lindstrand, the WHO’s representative in Cape Verde, informed CBS News’ Ramy Inocencio on Tuesday that there is no concern of a pandemic-level threat from the hantavirus, given the low probability of human-to-human transmission.
Spanish and Dutch authorities are engaged in intensive discussions regarding the future course of action for the passengers on board, Lindstrand added. Passengers have been instructed to remain in their cabins as much as possible.
“If there is the need for a quarantine, that will be a decision of the health authorities in Spain or Holland at that point in time, with the close collaboration with the advice of WHO,” Lindstrand stated.
Should a quarantine become necessary, it could extend up to two months, as the incubation period for hantavirus ranges from one to eight weeks, she explained.
“Eight weeks is a horribly long time to be in quarantine,” she commented.
Lindstrand mentioned that she is in communication with a volunteer doctor on the ship who reported that passengers are “coping surprisingly well,” despite their anxiety about their next destination.
“We have heard from quite a few people on the boat,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, on Tuesday. “We just want you to know we are working with the ship’s operators. We are working with the countries where you are from. We hear you. We know that you are scared.”
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