Three Have Died, Three Ill from Suspected Virus on Expedition Cruise Ship
International health authorities are supporting a rare outbreak believed to be hantavirus, which is associated with rodents. One case has been confirmed with a total of three people having died, one more is in a hospital, and two crewmembers remain ill aboard the expedition cruise ship Hondius.
The ship, which entered service in June 2019, is operated by a Dutch expedition company, Oceanwide Expeditions, and was on a repositioning cruise from Argentina to Cape Verde. The ship is 6,600 gross tons and 108 meters (354 feet). It made port stops in South Georgia and Saint Helena. Oceanwide reports that while it has a capacity for 170 passengers, there are 88 passengers on the cruise along with a total of 61 crewmembers. The company says on its website that the ship carries a doctor.
The World Health Organization has become involved and reports that one case of the deadly virus has been laboratory confirmed for the person who was evacuated and is now in a hospital in South Africa. The five additional cases are suspected and under investigation. It notes that hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure. While rare, the WHO hantavirus may spread between people and can lead to severe respiratory illness requiring careful patient monitoring, support, and response.
Medical reports state that the incubation period for the virus is typically one to eight weeks after exposure. Symptoms usually develop two to three weeks later. There is no known cure, and it can lead to severe respiratory distress and death.
The ship had departed Ushuaia in Argentina on March 20 for a cruise that was scheduled to end today, May 4, at Cape Verde. Oceanwide reports that the first passenger died aboard the cruise ship on April 11, with media reports saying it was a 70-year-old Dutch male. The cause of death could not be determined, and the body of the deceased and his wife disembarked at St. Helena on April 24. The wife, a 69-year-old Dutch citizen, also became ill after leaving the ship and was evacuated to South Africa, where she also died. The cause of their death has not yet been confirmed.
Three days later, on April 27, another passenger became seriously ill aboard the ship. This person, reported to be a 69-year-old British citizen, was evacuated to South Africa. They remain seriously ill in a hospital in Johannesburg, and they were confirmed to have contracted a variant of hantavirus.
Since then, another passenger died aboard the ship on May 2, shortly before reaching Cape Verde. Two crewmembers, one British and one Dutch, are also experiencing acute respiratory symptoms. One is reported to be mild, and the other severe.
The authorities in Cape Verde have visited the ship, and a request was made to medically evacuate the two ill crewmembers. The WHO reports it is facilitating the medical evacuation and conducting a full risk assessment. It is also supporting affected people onboard. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proposed to medically evacuate the two individuals and the other deceased passenger and transport them to the Netherlands.
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Oceanwide also reports it is considering the option of sailing to Las Palmas or Tenerife. They said those destinations could be a gateway for disembarkation and further medical screening.
The cruise ship remains off the coast of Cape Verde. There are 149 people on board, representing 23 different nationalities.