Hantavirus on cruise ship: WHO seeks 82 flight passengers – Tropical medicine expert assesses risk 06.05.2026

A deadly Hantavirus outbreak occurred on the cruise ship "MV Hondius," resulting in three deaths, including a Dutch couple and a German woman. The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating the case and is searching for 82 passengers from Airlink flight 4Z132 on April 25th, as a 69-year-old Dutch woman, who had disembarked the ship and died in Johannesburg on April 26th, tested positive for Hantavirus. Her husband had already died on the ship on April 11th. Although human-to-human transmission of the specific South American Hantavirus (Andes virus) is possible with close contact, a tropical medicine expert assesses the risk for other travelers as very low, as outbreak scenarios like with Corona are not expected and airplanes are equipped with HEPA filters. The ship is anchored off Cape Verde and is scheduled to dock in the Canary Islands with Spanish approval for crew and passenger examinations.














