A Severe Hantavirus Has Affected the People on the Cruise Ship MV Hondius
- Doyoung Lim
- May 13
- 2 min read
May 13, 2026
Doyoung Lim
A huge cruise ship, MV Hondius, which holds more than 150 passengers, has been severely affected by a deadly hantavirus outbreak. Dozens of passengers and crew from countries around the world have been evacuated from a cruise ship, where some passengers showed several symptoms regarding the virus, and some of them were officially announced to be infected by the hantavirus. The World Health Organization said that five confirmed infections had been identified among people connected to the cruise ship.
This virus is typically associated with rodents, but it may have passed from human to human aboard the vessel, according to the WHO. Since April 11, three people from the cruise ship have died, while others who got infected were transported to hospitals near other countries. The outbreak was first reported to WHO on May 2 and remains a low risk to the general public, the public health organization says.
The general symptoms observed so far are a fever, shortness of breath, deterioration, and signs of pneumonia. Passengers with similar symptoms from different nations are affecting others by coughing and through droplets. Currently, two specialist doctors from the Netherlands who arrived Wednesday, remaining with the vessel, are caring for the patients, and another doctor is already on board.
The ship left Cape Verde at 7:15 p.m. local time Wednesday and is heading north. It is sailing around the Canary Islands, which takes three or four days, and is expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, on Sunday morning. Affected passengers will be escorted to their countries by a team from there or a military hospital after being examined. Authorities are still investigating the origin of the virus, and the WHO believes that some passengers were already affected by the hantavirus before they joined the cruise on April 1.
