Hantavirus: WHO assesses public health risk as low
What you need to know
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The WHO anticipates that more cases might emerge but still deems the overall risk as low and dissimilar to COVID-19
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WHO chief Tedros thanks Spain's government for agreeing to receive the ship
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No passengers with symptoms are left on board, according to the cruise company
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The cruise ship has started moving from Cape Verde
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Spain's Health Ministry says it will allow it to dock at the Canary Island of Tenerife
Stay with us for the latest news on the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak:
Skip next section Tedros says risk to Canary Islands is 'low,' Spain well placed to manage it05/07/2026May 7, 2026Tedros says risk to Canary Islands is 'low,' Spain well placed to manage it
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the outbreak as a "serious incident" but nevertheless said his organization deemed the overall risk to the public to be low.
"Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it's possible that more cases may be reported," Tedros said at the press conference. "While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low."
He said the organization was working with "multiple governments and partners" on the response. He voiced thanks to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for accepting a request from him to receive the stranded ship.
"The ship is now sailing for the Canary Islands, and we are confident in the capacity of Spain to manage this risk, and we are supporting them to do so," Tedros said. "Once again, we assess the risk to the people of the Canary Islands as low."
The regional authorities on the Canary Islands have voiced dissatisfaction with Spain's decision to let the ship dock in Tenerife, which is currently planned to take place on Saturday.
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The WHO panel were asked during the session what similarities they saw to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic six years ago, with US infectious disease epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove saying she wanted to be "unequivocal."
"This is not coronavirus. This is a very different virus. We know this virus," she said. "Hantaviruses have been around for a while, there's a lot of details that we know ... I want to be unequivocal here: This is not SARS-COV2, this is not the start of a COVID pandemic, this is an outbreak that we see on a ship."
She said it was beneficial that the area in question was confined, with just five confirmed cases to date. She said that many steps were being taken to try to limit onward spread and contact.
"We completely understand why these questions are coming and we are trying to provide all the information we can. That's why we're having a press conference here: to give accurate information," van Kerkhove, a member of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said.
"This is not the same situation we were in six years ago. It doesn't spread the same way. It's very different: it's that close, intimate contact that we've seen."
https://p.dw.com/p/5DQrxSkip next section What do we know about the couple who first died of hantavirus? WHO answers05/07/2026May 7, 2026What do we know about the couple who first died of hantavirus? WHO answers
WHO chief Tedros also gave some extra details on the couple who first died from the virus.
"Prior to boarding the ship, the first two cases had traveled to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip which included visits to sites where the species of rat that's known to carry hantavirus was present."
He added that the WHO is trying to track the movement of the couple.
He expressed gratitude for the cooperation of the company, as well as "the passengers and crew who are going through a very difficult and frightening situation."
Tedros also said he had been in touch with the ship's captain, who said morale has improved since the ship started moving again.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DQp0Skip next section Public health risk low, as per WHO assessment05/07/2026May 7, 2026Public health risk low, as per WHO assessment
Despite the apparent rising number of cases, WHO chief Tedros said the "WHO assesses the public health risk as low."
He went on to lay out the agency's priorities:
- Making sure patients receive care
- Keeping the passengers who are still on the ship safe and being treated with dignity
- Preventing the virus from spreading further
"Investigations into the cause of the outbreak are continuing," the WHO chief added.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DQozSkip next section 5 confirmed hantavirus cases, WHO chief Tedros says 05/07/2026May 7, 20265 confirmed hantavirus cases, WHO chief Tedros says
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a press conference about the outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
He said there had been eight reports of hantavirus infections, including five that had been confirmed.
"WHO is aware of reports of other people with symptoms who may have had contact with one of the passengers. In each case, the WHO is in close contact with the relevant authorities," he said.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DQh6Skip next section No passengers with symptoms left on board, cruise company says05/07/2026May 7, 2026No passengers with symptoms left on board, cruise company says
Oceanwide Expeditions, the company running the MV Hondius cruise ship, said in a statement on Thursday that all passengers with symptoms had been taken off the ship.
"No symptomatic individuals are present on board," it said.
The three individuals who were airlifted away "are now in the care of medical professionals," it added.
The company also said it was working to trace all passengers who had been on board and possibly had contact with the virus.
It said 30 guests had disembarked on Saint Helena on April 24. The Dutch government had reported 40 guests disembarking, with their whereabouts now unknown.
But Oceanwide Expeditions said: "These disembarked guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions. We are working to establish details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops of m/v Hondius since March 20."
https://p.dw.com/p/5DPLzSkip next section Timeline of the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak05/07/2026May 7, 2026Timeline of the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak
The outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship has garnered global attention and empathy for those trapped on a ship where a deadly virus has already killed several people.
We still don't know how the outbreak started, but here is a timeline of what we do know:
- March 20: The MV Hondius departs from Tierra del Fuego with 149 people on board, sailing around the Antarctic region before returning
- April 1: The ship departs Ushuaia on the Argentinian side of Tierra del Fuego and heads north
- April 6: A 70-year-old male Dutch passenger falls ill with a fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea
- April 11: The man dies — at the time the cause was unknown
- April 24: The MV Hondius docks in Saint Helena where the deceased body was removed from the boat, along with the man's wife
- Note: On Wednesday (May 6), the Dutch government said some 40 people disembarked on the island
- April 25: The woman, also Dutch, and her husband's body are flown to South Africa, but she starts to feel ill on the journey
- Note: The woman tried to board a flight to the Netherlands, but was taken off for being too ill
- April 26: The woman dies in hospital in Johannesburg
- April 27: A British man is airlifted to Johannesburg after falling seriously ill
- April 28: A German woman starts to feel unwell and her condition quickly gets worse
- May 2: The German woman dies — on the same day, tests give the first confirmation on hantavirus following tests on the British patient
- May 3: The MV Hondius reaches Cape Verde with three passengers, including the ship doctor, reporting symptoms — the ship is not allowed to dock and patients are not allowed to disembark
- May 4: Hantavirus is found following tests on the Dutch woman who died on April 26
- May 5: Spain agrees to let the ship dock in Tenerife where the 14 Spanish passengers will be quarantined and the rest repatriated
- May 6: Three patients are evacuated from the ship, two were taken to the Netherlands and one was taken to Düsseldorf in Germany
- May 7: A Dutch stewardess who briefly came into contact with the Dutch woman who later died is taken to hospital after reporting feeling unwell
Dutch woman in Amsterdam hospital with possible hantavirus symptoms
A Dutch stewardess has been admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam after showing possible symptoms of hantavirus, the Dutch Health Ministry said.
She had been in contact with one of the cruise passengers who died from the virus in Johannesburg, in South Africa.
The patient was put into isolation at the Amsterdam UMC and is being tested, Dutch news site Nos reported.
The deceased woman had briefly boarded a KLM flight to fly back to the Netherlands after her husband died on the cruise but was deemed too sick to fly.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DOnNSkip next section Hantavirus contact person arrives in Germany for testing05/07/2026May 7, 2026Hantavirus contact person arrives in Germany for testing
Dmytro Hubenko EditorAccording to the dpa news agency, a person who came into contact with Hantavirus on the Hondius cruise ship arrived in Düsseldorf for precautionary medical testing.
The individual arrived at the infectious diseases unit of University Hospital Düsseldorf on Wednesday evening in a special transport convoy after being picked up by Düsseldorf firefighters at Amsterdam airport Schiphol.
The hospital had previously stated that the individual was asymptomatic and presumed not to be infected with the virus.
"This is a contact person with no confirmed evidence of a hantavirus infection. Admission is purely precautionary for medical evaluation," the hospital said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DOIrSkip next section Argentina sends team to investigate potential hantavirus source in Ushuaia05/07/2026May 7, 2026Argentina sends team to investigate potential hantavirus source in Ushuaia
Technical teams from Argentina's Malbran Institute will travel to the southern city of Ushuaia to conduct rodent capture and analysis operations in areas linked to the suspected hantavirus cases aboard the MV Hondius.
Argentina's Health Ministry said these were precautionary measures and added that no hantavirus cases had been recorded in Tierra del Fuego Province since mandatory reporting began in 1996.
The ministry also said that the virus detected on the MV Hondius corresponds to the Andes strain of hantavirus.
Argentina will now send Andes virus RNA to Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The Andes virus RNA will allow 2,500 diagnostic tests can be performed.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DO8kSkip next section US CDC monitoring American passengers, says risk to public 'very low'05/07/2026May 7, 2026US CDC monitoring American passengers, says risk to public 'very low'
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) said it was closely monitoring American passengers aboard the MV Hondius but added that the hantavirus outbreak posed a "very low" risk to the wider public.
"Our CDC team began coordinating with domestic and international partners as soon as we were notified of a hantavirus situation," CDC director Dr Jay Bhattacharya said.
"We understand that people are concerned and looking for information and that is why we provided clear, written health guidance to the American passengers through the State Department. The safety and health of the affected American travelers is our number one goal."
The New York Times reported that residents in three states were being monitored for hantavirus, although none had shown any signs of illness.
"Hantavirus is not spread by people without symptoms, transmission requires close contact, and the risk to the American public is very low," the CDC statement said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DO7ZSkip next section WATCH: Spain says virus ship can dock in Canary Islands05/07/2026May 7, 2026WATCH: Spain says virus ship can dock in Canary Islands
Halida AbbaroThe cruise ship hit by a rare hantavirus outbreak will set sail for the Canary Islands. The journey from the Cape Verde Islands will take three to four days. Spain has granted permission for the ship to dock in Tenerife.
Spain says virus ship can dock in Canary Islands
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DO6iSkip next section Dutch hantavirus victims visited two countries before Argentina05/07/2026May 7, 2026Dutch hantavirus victims visited two countries before Argentina
Argentina's Health Ministry said the Dutch couple who died of hantavirus had been in Chile and Uruguay before boarding the MV Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina.
The husband died onboard the ship on April 11 and his body was disembarked in Saint Helena, while his wife, who was feeling unwell, also left the ship at Saint Helena and was later evacuated to a hospital in Johannesburg, where she died.
The Argentine Health Ministry said it was sending experts to Ushuaia to capture and test rodents for the virus "in areas linked to the route" that the pair of tourists took.
The husband-and-wife arrived in Argentina on November 27, then traveled to Chile and Uruguay before returning to Argentina on March 27 to board the MV Hondius on April 1, authorities said, without commenting on where they could have caught the virus.
But the ministry did say that the Andes strain of the virus has not been detected in Tierra del Fuego province, where Ushuaia is situated, since 1996.
Hantavirus outbreak at sea: Who is legally obliged to help?
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DO6YSkip next section Two passengers self isolate in the UKPublished 05/06/2026Published May 6, 2026last updated 05/06/2026last updated May 6, 2026Two passengers self isolate in the UK
Wesley Dockery EditorThe UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that none of the British citizens onboard the luxury cruise ship had reported Hantavirus symptoms, but two who returned to the UK have been advised to self isolate.
"UKHSA is aware of two people who have returned to the UK independently having been on board the MV Hondius," the agency said.
"Neither of these individuals is currently reporting symptoms. They are receiving advice and support from UKHSA and have been advised to self-isolate," the agency added.
UKHSA confirmed that one British national was among three people with suspected hantavirus who have been evacuated from the Hondius to receive medical care in the Netherlands.
The agency said that of the the remaining British nationals on board, none of them are currently reporting symptoms, but they are being "closely monitored."
UKHSA said the passengers can be repatriated once the ship docks at its next destination, provided they do not develop symptoms.
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