A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship near Cape Verde has now claimed three lives, with three additional passengers sickened and one fighting for life in a South African intensive care unit, global health authorities confirmed.
The vessel, flying under Netherlands registration, set sail from Argentina roughly three weeks ago with about 150 people on board. It made stops that included Antarctica before the outbreak emerged on Sunday. The ship remains anchored off Cape Verde after local authorities refused docking permission due to safety concerns.
According to a full statement from the World Health Organization, laboratory confirmation has been received for one hantavirus infection, while five other cases are suspected. Among the six affected individuals, three have died, one remains in ICU in South Africa, and two symptomatic passengers await medical evacuation.
“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations,” the WHO said. “Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing. Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure to infected rodents, urine or feces. While rare, hantavirus may spread between people and can lead to severe respiratory illness.”
The WHO added that it is coordinating between member states and the ship’s operator to facilitate medical evacuation and a full public health risk assessment. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist, described the virus as one spread by rats through urine, feces, and secretions. Infection typically occurs when people inhale aerosolized particles from rodent droppings in poorly ventilated spaces.
“In the new world, it can have up to 40% fatality rate,” Dr. Chin-Hong said. “It starts off with flu-like symptoms and then essentially your blood vessels in the lungs get very leaky. It’s almost like your lungs get filled with fluid and it’s like you’re drowning. That’s what happens and that’s why people die.”
Cruise ships present a uniquely challenging environment, he noted. While most hantavirus transmission comes from rodent exposure, a strain known as Andes virus — prevalent in southern Argentina and Chile, not far from where the ship originated — has demonstrated human-to-human transmission.
“Either people got it from rat droppings or people are worried that this is the type of hantavirus that can spread from human to human,” Dr. Chin-Hong said. “That’s why I think it poses a very unique risk to these people.”
He recommended immediate isolation of symptomatic individuals, daily symptom checks, thorough rodent removal, careful cleaning of droppings without sweeping, and mask-wearing for crew members.
The incubation period can extend up to six weeks, meaning passengers could develop symptoms long after exposure. Dr. Chin-Hong suggested quarantine may be necessary for as long as six weeks.
Cape Verde’s limited hospital capacity and lack of any previously reported hantavirus cases have made local authorities cautious about allowing the ship to dock.
“They don’t have a lot of hospital capacity. They haven’t even reported hantavirus before,” he said. “They’re very wary of introducing it into that small environment without a lot of ICU special equipment support.”
For the general public, Dr. Chin-Hong emphasized that the risk remains extremely low. The virus does not spread easily like COVID-19, influenza, or measles. He cited a documented person-to-person outbreak in southern Argentina involving 34 cases and 11 deaths, where transmission occurred only through very close contact — including sexual contact or enclosed gatherings.
“Those are not really — it’s not easy to get hantavirus even in the person-to-person type called the Andes virus,” he said.
The WHO confirmed it has informed its national focal points under international health regulations and will issue a disease outbreak news for the public.