Three dead and at least 8 infected: this is how the hantavirus outbreak has evolved day by day
Two travelers have died on the cruise ship, a third after being evacuated to South Africa and one of the infected noticed symptoms when he was already at his home in Zurich
BarcelonaThe luxury cruise ship MV Hondius has been sailing for days with uncertainty about the origin of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has claimed three lives and already affects at least 8 passengers. The ship set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026. At ARA, we have compiled what is known so far about the evolution of the outbreak, case by case, according to official WHO reports.
April 1
The ship departs from Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The cruise follows an itinerary through the South Atlantic, with multiple stops in remote and ecologically diverse regions, including continental Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. 147 people are traveling, including passengers and crew from 233 different nationalities.
April 6
The first symptoms of the illness appear on board. A man presents to the ship's doctor with a picture of fever and gastrointestinal distress.
April 11
The patient worsens, presents respiratory difficulty and dies on board the same day. No microbiological tests were performed.
April 24
It's a key day. The body of the first victim is disembarked in Saint Helena (an island of British territory). His wife also leaves the ship, who at that moment already presents gastrointestinal symptoms. Before boarding the cruise ship, the couple had traveled through South America.
Presumably, that stop would have served for other passengers to leave the cruise ship and return home. This is the case of the Turkish content creator Ruhi Çenet.
Another adult man presents to the ship's doctor with the same symptoms as the first: fever, shortness of breath, and signs of pneumonia.
April 25
The wife of the first deceased, the second detected case, deteriorates on a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, and dies the next day upon arriving at the emergency service, on the 26th.
April 27th
The second patient on the ship worsens and is evacuated to Ascension Island, in South Africa. He is currently still hospitalized in the ICU. On May 2nd, a PCR confirms that the infection is by hantavirus.
May 2nd
The WHO receives the warning about the cruise ship case. It records the two deaths and the critical condition of the third patient. On the same day, a woman with pneumonia also dies on board. She had symptoms since April 28.
May 3
Health authorities report three more suspected cases on board.
May 4
The case of the woman who died in Johannesburg is confirmed by PCR as a hantavirus infection. At this moment, contact tracing begins with the rest of the passengers on the flight in which she was transported to the South African city.
Health authorities report a total of seven cases (two confirmed and five suspected), all among cruise passengers. At this moment, the ship is already docked off the coast of Cape Verde.
May 6
An eighth case is confirmed, in Zurich. It is a man who had been on board the ship with his wife, but both finished the trip at the end of April and returned home. After feeling unwell, the man went to his family doctor. He was referred to the University Hospital of Zurich, where a laboratory test was performed that confirmed the positive for Andes hantavirus and, immediately, he was placed in isolation.
The wife of this last infected person has not yet presented symptoms, but the Swiss government has reported that she is at home in isolation as a precaution.
