The World Health Organization is monitoring an outbreak of severe respiratory illness linked to hantavirus aboard a cruise ship after seven confirmed and suspected cases, including three deaths, were reported among passengers and crew.
The vessel, carrying 147 people, including 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 nationalities, is currently moored off the coast of Cabo Verde as international health authorities coordinate an ongoing response.
Three Deaths Reported During Voyage
According to WHO, illness onset among affected individuals occurred between April 6 and April 28, 2026.
Symptoms reported among cases included fever, gastrointestinal illness, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock.
Two cases have been laboratory confirmed as hantavirus infections, while five additional suspected cases remain under investigation.
The first reported patient, an adult male, developed fever, headache and mild diarrhoea on April 6 while aboard the vessel before deteriorating rapidly and dying on April 11.
A second confirmed case, an adult female who had close contact with the first patient, became ill after leaving the ship at Saint Helena before later dying in South Africa. Laboratory testing later confirmed hantavirus infection through PCR analysis.
A third confirmed patient remains critically ill in intensive care after being medically evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa.
WHO also confirmed a fourth death involving a passenger who developed pneumonia symptoms on April 28.
Cruise Route Included Antarctica And Remote Islands
The Dutch-flagged vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 and travelled through several remote South Atlantic destinations including Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island.
Health authorities said investigations are continuing to determine where exposure may have occurred.
WHO noted that the extent of passenger contact with wildlife or rodent habitats during the voyage or prior to departure from South America remains unclear.
The first two confirmed cases had travelled through parts of South America, including Argentina, before boarding the cruise ship.
International Response Underway
Authorities in Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom are coordinating public health measures alongside WHO.
WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from the outbreak as low.
Hantavirus infections are rare but can be severe, with case fatality rates reaching up to 50% in parts of the Americas.
The virus is typically transmitted through contact with rodent urine, saliva or faeces, often in rural or wilderness environments.
Although human-to-human transmission is uncommon, WHO noted that limited transmission involving Andes virus has previously been documented in South America among close contacts and healthcare workers.
Health authorities in several countries are now monitoring passengers who previously disembarked from the cruise.
Officials in the United States confirmed that three former passengers are being monitored in Georgia and Arizona, although none currently show symptoms.
