Mapped: The countries affected by the cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people
Six of the eight suspected cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have now been confirmed, the World Health Organization said at a press briefing.
The wider public health threat from the outbreak remained low, director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted, adding that the WHO was aware of reports of other patients, with more possible due to the incubation period for the virus.
It comes as passengers disembark the virus-stricken ship to return to their home countries, where many will be asked to isolate.
Countries around the world are scrambling to prevent further spread of the virus by tracking those who had already disembarked before the virus was detected and anyone in close contact with them since.
Follow our liveblog on the hantavirus outbreak here.
Three people – a Dutch couple and a German national – have died so far on the MV Hondius.
Eight people, including a Swiss citizen, were suspected to have contracted the virus, which is typically spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted among people, the WHO said. Six of these cases were confirmed as Hantavirus on Friday.
Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted among people, the WHO said.
People who may have been exposed to the virus are now dotted around the world, with passengers from at least 12 countries having disembarked in St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean during a stop on 24 April.
The MV Hondius departed the southern Argentinian city of Ushuaia on 1 April, with one Argentine national onboard.
The country’s health ministry reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, around double recorded in the same period the previous year.
The source of the outbreak hasn’t been confirmed, but the Argentine government is looking into whether infections began in the country. The government’s leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the illness during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Argentina’s health ministry will now carry out rodent trapping and analysis in Ushuaia as investigations continue.
The MV Hondius was denied its plans to dock in the West African archipelago, and remained anchored off its coast for several days.
