NEW: WHO Identifies Terrifying Virus That Spreads Person-To-Person As Cause Of Deadly Cruise Ship Outbreak

The World Health Organization has determined that the Andes strain of hantavirus is the likely cause of a cluster of deadly respiratory illnesses aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius.

The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, in late March 2026 for a voyage that included stops in Antarctic regions and South Atlantic islands before anchoring off the coast of Cape Verde as of this report.

So far, seven cases have been identified among the approximately 147 passengers and crew members on board. Two of those have been identified as hantavirus infections through laboratory testing, while the virus is expected to be the cause of the other five. Three people have died, one patient remains critically ill after evacuation to a hospital in South Africa, and three individuals are experiencing mild symptoms as of May 5.

Passengers have been instructed to remain in their cabins while the ship undergoes cleaning and sanitization, and medical teams in full personal protective equipment have boarded to provide care and conduct testing.

Investigative findings point to the Andes virus, a hantavirus strain endemic to parts of Argentina and Chile. This identification is based on the ship’s point of origin in South America, the clinical presentation of symptoms—including fever, gastrointestinal issues, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock—and the absence of rodents on board the vessel.

Laboratory sequencing to confirm the exact strain is ongoing, but the World Health Organization is proceeding under the assumption that the Andes virus is involved, according to a report from Reuters.

Hantaviruses are typically transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, often via aerosolized particles. The Andes strain is an exception among hantaviruses in that it has documented, though limited, person-to-person transmission.

This occurs primarily through close and prolonged contact, such as between individuals sharing cabins, spouses, or other intimate household-like settings. It is not considered airborne in the general sense and does not spread easily through casual contact.

“We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention. “Our working hypothesis is that there’s probably a couple of different types of transmission that might be happening,” she added.

The Andes strain is associated with a case fatality rate of approximately 40 percent in reported outbreaks. Given the ship’s confined environment and the total of roughly 150 people aboard, health officials have noted the potential for additional infections among close contacts if transmission chains are active.

However, the World Health Organization has assessed the risk to the broader public as low, emphasizing that the virus requires specific conditions for spread and that standard infection prevention measures are effective when implemented. No evidence of wider community transmission has been reported outside the vessel.

Efforts to identify the epicenter of the outbreak continue. Investigators are examining whether the index case or cases were exposed prior to boarding—possibly in Argentina, where Andes virus circulates—or during shore visits to islands along the route. No rodents have been detected on the ship itself, which the WHO views as evidence of an initial external introduction followed by secondary transmission.

Epidemiological tracing, contact monitoring, and additional laboratory analyses are underway to map the transmission dynamics and determine the precise source, the WHO said.

In response, Spanish authorities have indicated that docking permission in the Canary Islands will depend on further epidemiological data. Medical evacuations for the most severely affected individuals are in progress, and international coordination under the International Health Regulations is supporting clinical management, testing, and risk assessment.

The situation remains under active monitoring, with updates expected as sequencing results and on-board investigations provide additional clarity.

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