I generally cover virus, and this is what I'm reading about the Hantavirus outbreak...
All of the big questions out of the way first...
1. Will we all die from Hantavirus? Absolutely not.
2. Will there be another pandemic? Almost certainly not.
3. Will I catch Hantavirus from this outbreak? Were you on the MV Hondius? Have you hugged, kissed, or shared food or a room with anyone who was on board the MV Hondius?
If yes - It’s possible.
If no - Almost certainly not.
4. Is this a super variant? No. Genetic testing reveals it's the exact same strain that is endemic to Argentina and the Andes region, with a couple of hundred cases a year (and none of those have ever previously caused a pandemic). It has not mutated, nor is it likely to.
4. Should we lose sleep fretting? No.
Hantavirus was in the news last year when the wife of actor Gene Hackman died from it. It is back in the news because of an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius.
Human Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure, usually dust containing infected rodents’ saliva, pee or poo. Around 1 to 6 weeks after exposure symptoms begin, and then the patient can deteriorate fairly rapidly. Symptoms are flu-like and gastro-intestinal (cough, fever, chest infection, sore joints, diarrhoea). With most Hantavirus infections patients struggle with breathing, and their irritated lungs fill with fluid (other strains can cause internal bleeding). Although Hantavirus may spread between people, it almost never happens. We don't even know if it can go 'person to person to another person'.
The South American Andes strain of Hantavirus, which this is, is the only strain which has been known to spread human to human - and only on very rare occasions (I can only find 3 previous outbreaks - which were all quickly contained). It can become airborne when patients cough, but is possibly more easily caught from the saliva, pee, poop or even sweat of an infected individual. Therefore catching it requires close contact - usually nursing a sick patient, sharing food, drink or vapes, or living together in close quarters. Because it settles deep in the lungs or in the intestinal system, by the time a person is infectious it is likely they will know that they are not well. (It isn't like COVID, it doesn't sit in the nose or throat.)
Although Hantavirus appears to have a massive mortality rate - estimated around 30% - it's possible there are asymptomatic cases who never even knew they had it. In a 1999 Panama outbreak there were 11 cases and 3 deaths (mortality rate 27%), but blood tests of household contacts revealed an extra 40 people with antibodies, reducing mortality to 3.5% (still high, but definitely not 27%). It is likely only the very sick who usually realise they have anything more than a cold or flu.
The MV Hondius is a Dutch-flagged cruise ship which was touring from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde and left port on 1st April with approximately 150 people on board from 28 different countries.
A 70 year old birdwatching Dutch tourist (Patient 1) had toured for around 3 months and visited several birdwatching sites (including a landfill site in Ushuaia) to take photos of birds before boarding MV Hondius. Argentinian authorities confirm Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego have never recorded a case of Andes strain Hantavirus.
He became ill on 6th April with respiratory problems, and deteriorated rapidly, dying on 11th April before he could be medically evacuated. The captain told passengers that 'sadly a guest has “suddenly passed away”, it is believed to be from natural causes and "not infectious"'.
He wasn't young, he developed pneumonia and succumbed.
The ship continued it's tour. Passengers visited Tristan da Cunha on 14th April, possibly the most isolated island on Earth, and mingled for 2 days with the 221 inhabitants. Some islanders boarded the ship for a ride to St. Helena Airport.
On 22nd April the ship docked at St Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic. On 24th patient 1's body was sent ashore, his 69 year old wife (Patient 2) accompanied it, and around 30 other people disembarked - mostly as they'd planned to do anyway. People travel onward to at least 12 different countries, including Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
A Turkish gentleman heads back home for a wedding, and posts photos to social media - this will later cause him to be harassed online, although he could never have known anything unusual was about to happen.
A male on board develops symptoms (Patient 3).
Patient 1's wife continued her journey, but was ill with gastro-intestinal symptoms. She was grieving and going through a very stressful time, so diarrhoea was hardly a surprise. On 25th April she became rapidly ill, collapsing at the airport in South Africa. At this point medical authorities realised there was a potential problem. She was taken to hospital in Johannesburg, where she died the next day.
Patient 3, a British national, is now incredibly ill, he is evacuated to hospital in Johannesburg on 27th April.
On 28th April a German lady on board the ship became ill with a fever, very swiftly this developed into pneumonia. She unfortunately succumbed on board, where her body remains.
Between 28th April and 1st May another 3 male adults on board develop symptoms, including the ship's doctor.
On 2nd May WHO are notified of a cluster of respiratory illness on board the MV Hondius.
On Wednesday 6th May 3 other sick people are evacuated to hospital in the Netherlands, where ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions is headquartered. They are British and Dutch nationals, one is the ship's doctor.
A British ship passenger who stayed behind on Tristan da Cunha becomes ill. He is later confirmed infected.
A Swiss national who was on board and went home via St Helena receives an email warning him about the outbreak. He has symptoms, goes to Zurich hospital and is confirmed to be infected.
Several other people develop mild symptoms and are tested, including people from the same plane as Patient 2 - they have tested negative so far, a Spanish national is awaiting results.
Meanwhile WHO is helping coordinate medical evacuations of symptomatic passengers, public health risk assessment and support to the remaining passengers on board, deploying testing kits, and supporting officials monitoring passengers that returned home earlier. Along with officials in South Africa they have identified 75 contacts, including people who shared the flight from St Helena. 42 have been traced and are being monitored.
On Friday Swiss scientists publish the full genome sequence for the virus - now any scientists in the world with the relevant skills can immediately see if their Hantavirus cases are related.
People in Saint Helena who had close contact with passengers have mandatory at-home quarantine for 45 days after last known exposure, until 9th June.
After being refused dock at Cape Verde (it doesn't have the infrastructure to support all of those people), Spain says the MV Hondius can dock in the Canary Islands, despite initial refusal by governing bodies. It took 3 days to get to Tenerife - they arrived before dawn on Sunday. There were 146 people on board from 23 different countries (59 crew, 88 passengers). The final passengers and crew disembarked this evening.
Quarantine is long. These poor people have already been through a lot, and now they will have to endure a very boring and frustrating time, which will keep them away from family and friends. Hantavirus has an incubation period of around 4-42 days. That countdown begins either with last contact with an infected person, or from the day they step off the MV Hondius. How strict the quarantine is depends on the country/state/Government/neighbours, as does the level of support offered.
So where are they now?
27 people, including passengers and crew from The Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Germany and Argentina, have been flown to the Netherlands. The Dutch Government, as the country responsible for the MV Hondius, offered to take anyone not collected by their own governments (bearing in mind they include St Kitts and some other tiny nations). 13 people on the ship were Dutch, including 8 passengers and 5 crew.
14 Spanish passengers have been flown to Madrid for mandatory quarantine at a military hospital.
The UK flew 20 British nationals, 1 German national who is a UK resident and 1 Japanese passenger (at the request of the Japanese Government) via Manchester airport to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. They will stay there for 72 hours for clinical assessments and testing, and then complete 45 days isolation in line with UKHSA guidance. Medics will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements. They will not be allowed to use public transport. UKHSA health protection teams will check on their wellbeing daily and the UK Government will ensure that they are given the appropriate support.
7 UK nationals left the MV Hondius in St Helena on 24th April before the first confirmed case of hantavirus was reported on 4 May. Of them, 4 stayed on St Helena, 2 are symptomless and voluntarily self-isolating at home, and at time of writing the final person had not yet been traced. UKHSA is working to trace any high-risk contacts and will remain in touch with these people for 45 days from the potential exposure.
2 Irish women were flown to Dublin. They will isolate for 42 days in a HSE facility as per European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
5 French passengers have been evacuated to Paris, including a lady who became very ill during the flight. All French passengers will 'be placed in strict isolation'.
The US CDC sent a team to pick up 17 US nationals. 2 people were transported in bio-containment units - 1 who tested positive and 1 who developed mild symptoms. The person with mild symptoms has been taken to the 'Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center', everyone else will initially be quarantined in a bio-secured facility, located on the University of Nebraska Medical Centre campus. CDC guidance has been updated and suggests that this will be for 42 days, and if suitable, people will be allowed to quarantine at home with daily monitoring - although obviously state officials may decide they stay in a facility.
Symptomless residents who were aboard the cruise ship and left earlier are being monitored by the CDC in at least 4 states, including Georgia, Arizona, Texas and California
Singapore - 2 symptomless people are isolating. They were on the cruise ship, and also on the 25th April flight from St Helena to Johannesburg.
During the flights home 1 French woman became ill, tested positive, and she has deteriorated overnight. 1 American tested positive and another developed symptoms. One of the few similarities to COVID is that it is possible to get a negative test result while you are infected and incubating Hantavirus, and get a positive result a couple of hours later once the virus has taken hold and begun to replicate exponentially. Likewise you can get a positive test result when you are recovering or beating the infection. People at risk are being repeat tested.
As so many things have similar initial symptoms to Andes strain Hantavirus, there will likely be a lot of 'false alarms', especially among people who were on board the MV Hondius. If my counting serves me correctly then at this moment we have 14 people affected (7 confirmed, 7 suspected/mild symptoms). Sadly 3 people have died.
The world has dealt with this maturely and sensibly, and long may that continue. It is unfortunately likely we will see more people test positive, but highly unlikely that this will spread beyond those directly related to the MV Hondius. I wish all of the passengers and crew the very best, and a speedy and full recovery to those who are ill.
They look like numbers, but they're all people...
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| Hantavirus Timeline Ian MacKay PhD |
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Sources
Dashboard
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/5c68442d2afc42d7ba2696e4cd393729
Reddit megathread
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/3agiCtKvcD
Reddit Timeline
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/DV0Bqt5HQY
WHO Update page
https://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3113/hantavirus-latest-who-1
What is Hantavirus ITV
https://www.itv.com/news/2026-05-04/what-is-hantavirus
Hantavirus 3 dead
WHO Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship Hondius
https://x.com/i/status/2051029427614818551
Hantavirus details
https://www.samsung-news.com/articles/H4ZElqcwRC7mwlDLPv1dFA-en-GB
Hans Kluge Hantavirus - says doesn't spread person to person
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/says-risk-public-low-suspected-104656263.html?ncid=redditnewsus&guccounter=2
BBC article Hantavirus
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0294829ndo
Hantavirus landing page YLE
https://open.substack.com/pub/insidemedicine/p/hantavirus-landing-page?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
Hantavirus human transmission unlikely
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34515290/
Hantavirus CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/index.html
UK HSA blog post
https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/05/05/what-is-hantavirus-how-is-it-transmitted-and-what-are-the-symptoms/
Hantavirus landing page v2 Inside Medicine
https://open.substack.com/pub/insidemedicine/p/hantavirus-landing-page-20-may-9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
Latest CDC guidance for Andes strain Hantavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/media/pdfs/2026/05/Andes_virus_guidance_8FINAL.pdf
HHS tweet about evacuees
https://x.com/HHSGov/status/2053656580118216985?s=20
Sunday/ Monday
Two Americans were traveling in the plane's biocontainment units, HHS said.
https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/hantavirus-live-updates-mv-hondius-canary-islands/?id=132746955
CDC guidance for isolating Americans - 42 days
https://open.substack.com/pub/insidemedicine/p/the-first-us-case-of-andes-hantavirus?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
No mandatory quarantine for US passengers: CDC official - ABC7 New York - THIS HAS CHANGED
https://abc7ny.com/live-updates/hantavirus-infection-outbreak-cruise-ship-symptoms-map/19064881/
CDC is sending a team to the Canary Islands to meet the Americans on board the Dutch cruise ship,” the CDC official said. “
American passengers aboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship will quarantine in Nebraska, CDC says
https://www.aol.com/articles/flight-attendant-tests-negative-hantavirus-110037791.html
CDC update
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2026/2026-cdc-provides-update-on-hantavirus-outbreak-linked-to-m-v-hondius-cruise-ship.html
Dr Tedros image message to the people of Tenerife
https://x.com/i/status/2053083645292773817
Evacuation plans for Hantavirus ship
https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/23-paises-coordinados-ue-oms-dispositivo-precedentes-evitar-propagacion-hantavirus_1_13203608.html
Hantavirus cases tracker
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/Iz8bfw1r0H
WHO director says he will personally oversee hantavirus cruise evacuation - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hantavirus-cruise-evacuation-world-health-organization-hondius-canary-islands/
You can only get a positive Hantavirus test when you have symptoms
https://x.com/i/status/2053079985905193190
Angela Rasmussen
https://open.substack.com/pub/rasmussenretorts/p/andes-virus-is-almost-over?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
British Hantavirus cruise passengers isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital image
https://x.com/i/status/2053744691795853736
Latest UK news update Hantavirus
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-update-on-the-hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak
MV Hondius: Irish passengers returning home from virus-hit ship - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czx20wzlveeo
Countries airlift nationals evacuated from virus-hit cruise ship - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7pzmg8zeno
Marty Makary fired / Hantavirus video/ podcast
https://substack.com/@rasmussenretorts/note/p-196942421?r=354hjt
WHO Technical notes for disembarkation of affected passengers
https://x.com/i/status/2053543967804043567
One of the French evacuees from the Hondius begsn showing symptoms on the flight home.
All French nationals will be placed in strict isolation.
https://www.metronieuws.nl/in-het-nieuws/buitenland/2026/05/hantavirus-symptomen-op-nederlands-cruiseschip-hondius-br/
Person to person spread, Presymptomatic spread, Spread while testing negative, Testing negative WHILE symptomatic, 40+ day incubation period, High death rate among those infected
https://x.com/i/status/2053345147602297046
Statement from International Hantavirus Society
https://zenodo.org/records/20075274
French evacuee from hantavirus-hit ship tests positive, health minister says - France 24
https://www.france24.com/en/health/20260511-french-evacuee-from-hantavirus-hit-ship-tests-positive-health-minister-says
Saturday 9th Hantavirus
Turkish influencer immediately goes to wedding
https://www.turkiyetoday.com/lifestyle/outrage-as-turkish-youtuber-attends-wedding-after-leaving-hantavirus-ship-3219602
French woman confirmed positive, condition deteriorated overnight. American positive inconclusive
https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-outbreak-hondius-cruise-ship-df0e7e1fb9c7fd3e4092be06e684f644
One US citizen tests positive and another begins showing symptoms on way home
https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-cruise-ship-hondius-tenerife-1c43c66d2b0555cf946d9e57fc65f1d4
WHO briefing
Highlights from Disease Outbreak News on #hantavirus linked to MV Hondius:
▪️ As of 8 May, a total of 8 cases, including 3 deaths, have been reported. 6 cases are confirmed as Andes virus. 4 patients are currently hospitalized. One case previously reported as suspected has now been reclassified as a non-case after testing negative for Andes (ANDV) virus through specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serology.
▪️ Epidemiological investigations are underway to determine the source of exposure, including on the travel history and potential exposures of the first case.
▪️One expert from WHO, one from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (@ECDC_EU) are on board the cruise ship to provide support to the passengers, crews and ship operators during the journey.
▪️ WHO has developed and shared technical guidance documents in support of countries affected by the event, including covering management of the event on the ship, investigation of cases, disembarkation and management of returning passengers and crew members.
▪️ An adult male, who disembarked in Tristan da Cunha on 14 April, is currently stable and in isolation. He is currently a probable case until laboratory confirmation.
▪️ Passengers who travelled on the same flight from St Helena to South Africa along with one of the confirmed cases have been contacted.
To date, 75 contacts have been identified in South Africa, of whom 42 have been traced by national authorities and are currently under monitoring.
WHO Briefing Friday night
https://x.com/i/status/2053001272647688227
Full WHO briefing Friday night
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON600
Friday 8th April
Full genome published
Our Centre has published the first Andes hantavirus full genome sequence from the Swiss patient! Kudos to the laboratory team of the @hug_ge and the Medical Virology of the University hospital Zurich for this rapid work!
https://x.com/i/status/2052797634184708457
UK HSA blog post
https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/05/05/what-is-hantavirus-how-is-it-transmitted-and-what-are-the-symptoms/
Friday Mv Hondius
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp1505p84o
Hantavirus update Friday noon
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/hantavirus-update?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
Flight attendant has tested negative for Hantavirus. Although it is possible to test negative and then later test positive, this means the symptoms the flight attendant has been experiencing are hopefully just a cold.
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/klm-flight-attendant-tested-negative-hantavirus-infection-who-says-2026-05-08/
2 individuals from Texas self-monitoring for symptoms
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/dshs-statement-texas-residents-who-were-board-mv-hondius
Morning
Seven Britons disembarked the MV Hondius in St Helena on 24 April before the first confirmed case of hantavirus was reported on 4 May, with four remaining there
Two of the Britons who disembarked on 24 April have already returned to the UK and are self-isolating voluntarily but do not have symptoms
The seventh person has not yet been traced, the UKHSA has said
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yr41vq2ero?app-referrer=deep-link
Woman on flight has regular cold - tests negative
https://www.ssi.dk/aktuelt/nyheder/2026/danskers-proeve-for-hantavirus-er-negativ
ECDC Assessment and guidance Hantavirus TAB-hantavirus-06052026.pdf https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/TAB-hantavirus-06052026.pdf
Spanish woman in hospital with suspected hantavirus infection; new case suspected on remote island
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flight-attendant-tests-negative-hantavirus-new-case-suspected-remote-i-rcna344191
WHO media briefing Hantavirus
https://x.com/i/status/2052376481746301304
Hantavirus MV Hondius Late Week 1
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp1505p84o
Spanish woman in hospital with suspected hantavirus infection; new case suspected on remote island
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flight-attendant-tests-negative-hantavirus-new-case-suspected-remote-i-rcna344191
WHO media briefing Hantavirus
https://x.com/i/status/2052376481746301304
REDDIT SOURCES
MEGATHREAD: 2026 Hantavirus Outbreak — Updates & Discussion
[Timeline](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/ljTP32geZ5) courtesy of /u/ReferenceNice142 and /u/AcornAI (*work in progress*)
[Dashboard](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/5c68442d2afc42d7ba2696e4cd393729) created by /u/BeastofPostTruth and [Dashboard thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/EY5AFE5Jo0)
[WHO DON (4 May 2026)](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599)
**Major Updates and Past Threads** Newest at Top
[Hantavirus cases suspected in multiple countries as authorities scramble to contain outbreak](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/M2Tc57sfFh)
[Oceanwide Confirms 30 Passengers Disembarked at St. Helena - Full Nationality List Released](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/digkfVwS7p)
[Hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads to Spain after three people evacuated](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/QPWl03mA2M)
[Possible Case(s) of Hantavirus outside of the MV Hondius](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/mnufZ67EIS)
[Patient with a hantavirus infection being treated in Zurich hospital](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/WtO7SSlGY2)
[WHO confirms Andes strain of hantavirus in cruise ship passengers](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/e07volqRDd)
[Cruise ship to sail from to Canary Islands with passengers trapped on board](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/ZloPaAbHxL)
[Rare human-to-human hantavirus transmission suspected on board cruise ship](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/qcHhiurPSW)
[How an ocean cruise turned into a hantavirus nightmare: First victim's body remained onboard for 13 days](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/VYEGISFTDF)
[Evacuations planned as suspected hantavirus outbreak traps 150 on ship off Cape Verde](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/a4euQzbzft)
[Three die on cruise ship from suspected hantavirus: WHO](https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/R7AsN1lAVa)
Hantavirus update Friday noon
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/hantavirus-update?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
Flight attendant has tested negative for Hantavirus. Although it is possible to test negative and then later test positive, this means the symptoms the flight attendant has been experiencing are hopefully just a cold.
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/klm-flight-attendant-tested-negative-hantavirus-infection-who-says-2026-05-08/
2 individuals from Texas self-monitoring for symptoms
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/dshs-statement-texas-residents-who-were-board-mv-hondius
Morning
Seven Britons disembarked the MV Hondius in St Helena on 24 April before the first confirmed case of hantavirus was reported on 4 May, with four remaining there
Two of the Britons who disembarked on 24 April have already returned to the UK and are self-isolating voluntarily but do not have symptoms
The seventh person has not yet been traced, the UKHSA has said
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yr41vq2ero?app-referrer=deep-link
Thursday 7th April
Press update: timeline of the medical situation on board the m/v Hondius | News | Oceanwide Expeditions
Timeline, passenger nationalities etc
https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/blog/press-update-timeline-of-the-medical-situation-on-board-the-m-v-hondius
Afternoon
146 people STILL on board from 23 different countries
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/07/world/hantavirus-ship-tenerife-outbreak-intl
"French citizen in isolation and being tested for hantavirus after developing "mild symptoms," health ministry says.
The patient was not on the cruise ship but shared a flight with the woman who died of hantavirus in Johannesburg."
https://x.com/i/status/2052422780809830810
AFTER the first death on board the passengers landed on Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated island on Earth with 150 inhabitants, and mingled with the inhabitants.
They didn’t just spend two days touring the island, they also took a few islanders aboard the ship, supposedly to give them a ride to St. Helena Airport. Another local man had returned to TDC on this ship, so he may have been around the infected couple for some time.
59 crew attending to the 88 passengers -- most of them amateur birdwatchers aged 60 and up
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260506-hantavirus-ship-passenger-they-didn-t-take-it-seriously-enough
https://x.com/i/status/2052349681930584344
Lunchtime
8 cases, 5 confirmed, 3 deaths.
3 passengers were medically evacuated from the ship on Wednesday, and were being brought to the Netherlands for treatment, where ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions is headquartered.
One of those passengers is the ship's doctor.
The 146 people on board are from 23 different countries.
https://x.com/i/status/2052289640535675223
Flight attendant hospitalized with mild symptoms in the Netherlands; had contact with woman who died of hantavirus in Johannesburg - RTL
https://x.com/i/status/2052304868883173882
At least 30 passengers disembarked the MV Hondius at St. Helena on 24th April - as was planned in their itineraries- while there was a suspected hantavirus outbreak. This includes the Swiss patient and 2 Britons who are now self-isolating.
7 symptomless people have since returned to the United States - including to Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.
26 disembarked 24th April
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/121146
Ship doctor evacuated to Netherlands
https://x.com/i/status/2051765755713118405
Singapore authorities are isolating and testing two people who were on the cruise ship, and who also were on board the same 25 April flight from St Helena to Johannesburg as someone who later died.
2 britons self-isolating/ 2 Singapore self-isolating
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wepl8we90o
Morning
Symptomless residents in at least 3 US states who were aboard the cruise ship are being monitored by the CDC - Georgia 2, Arizona 1 and Californian residents
Ship will dock in Tenerife, Canary Islands, within 3 days and all healthy non-Spanish passengers/crew will be repatriated. 14 passengers who are Spanish will quarantine in Madrid. Quarantine is long, probably 6 weeks since last exposure, so sorry to anyone who has to endure it.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2026/05/06/health-authorities-monitor-potential-hantavirus-infections/89971049007/
Essential reading
Gideon M-K: Health Nerd - You probably don't need to stress about Hantavirus
https://open.substack.com/pub/gidmk/p/you-probably-dont-need-to-stress?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=354hjt
Florian Krammer: Hantavirus human to human transmission
https://x.com/i/status/2052094348175532223
"Here are the important references of historically described Andesvirus human-to-human transmission (rare among Andesviruses cases):
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042682297989765?via%3Dihub (1996)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7101103/ (2014)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33264545/ (2018/2019)
All were contained."
Study of h2h Hantavirus
https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0012465
Monday to Wednesday 4th to 6th April Updates
Dashboard
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/5c68442d2afc42d7ba2696e4cd393729
Reddit megathread
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/3agiCtKvcD
Reddit Timeline
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/DV0Bqt5HQY
WHO Update page
https://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3113/hantavirus-latest-who-1
may have been caused by a Dutch couple contracting the illness during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia, Argentina
The couple visited a landfill site during the birdwatching tour, authorities said, where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection. Authorities previously said that Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego had never recorded a case of the hantavirus.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hantavirus-outbreak-cruise-ship-birdwatching-trip-b2972219.html
Wednesday night
Late - UK Gov statement
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-update-on-the-hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak
UK Home Office statement
https://x.com/i/status/2052064609062768704
UK will repatriate passengers, who will have to self-isolate for up to 6 weeks, depending on when they were aboard the ship, as Hantavirushas an incubationperiod of up to 8 weeks. 2 UK people who are already at home are symptomless and self-isolating.
Wednesday 5th night UK Gov statement on Hantavirus
https://x.com/i/status/2052084094645703025
And BBC article Hantavirus
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wepl8we90o
Wednesday night
France Health Minister tells BFMTV that a French passenger who was on the same flight as a patient evacuated to Johannesburg (either the now deceased Dutch woman 26th April or the British man who is in intensive care 27th April) has developed symptoms.
https://www.bfmtv.com/sante/hantavirus-un-francais-identifie-comme-cas-contact-d-un-des-malades-du-navire-lors-d-un-vol-pour-johannesbourg_AV-202605060461.html
Wednesday: lunchtime
2 sick passengers evacuated from hantavirus cruise ship; new case confirmed in Switzerland
Current total 3 confirmed, 5 suspected
3 dead - 2 dutch, 1 german
3 sick passengers ("acute symptoms") evacuated to the Netherlands
Switzerland confirms an ex-passenger is being treated in Zurich after receiving an email and realising his symptoms matched. Thought no further risk to wider community.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/hantavirus-cruise-ship-evacuation-new-case-andes-strain-canary-islands-rcna343816
Wednesday 5th morning
Canary Islands' leader says he opposes plan to let virus-hit cruise ship dock there - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy592qeq071t
The doctor from the cruise ship is patient in serious condition - evacuated to the Canary Islands by hospital plane
https://x.com/i/status/2051765755713118405
Tracing 86 people who shared a flight with the woman and her dead husband to Saint Helena
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/hantavirus-human-transmission-9.7188555
2 high risk patients being evacuated to the netherlands, 1 high risk contact being evacuated to Germany
https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/gabinete/notasPrensa.do?id=6899
Outbreak unfolded.over a period of weeks - this is a long cruise.
https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-outbreak-cruise-ship-timeline-a04e0f8097d068a00fe94bf19f840240
Tuesday 4th - Maria Van Kerkhove, the head of WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said: "We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts.”
People living on a cruise ship are in especially close quarters, sharing bedrooms etc
Presumption initial patient was likely infected off ship before boarding in Argentina, possibly while birdwatching. Also assumption this is the Andes virus strain, which spreads in South America, including Argentina - testing underway.
Directing her message at the people on the boat, where more than 20 nationalities are represented, the WHO official said: “We just want you to know we are working with the ship's operators” and with the travellers’ countries of origin.
“We hear you. We know that you are scared,” she said. “We're trying to make sure that the ship has as much information as they can…that you're cared for and of course, that you get home safely.”
cruise ship currently anchored off Cape Verde.
Tuesday morning 4th April update WHO Hantavirus
https://x.com/i/status/2051601248973897942
Maria Van Kerkhove interview video
https://x.com/i/status/2051689056560369727
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11ezoeaev
Tuesday update Hantavirus
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-hantavirus-cases-transmission-cruise-ship/
A concerning reminder of how quickly severe infections can escalate in travel settings.
Monday night 5th April WHO update Hantavirus
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599
Ian M MacKay PhD timeline image
https://x.com/MackayIM/status/2053813903365382240
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