A British tourist is in a critical but stable condition in intensive care in South Africa following a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship sailing through the Atlantic Ocean, tour company Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Three people have died and at least three others are ill, the World Health Organisation (Who) said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The UN’s agency also said an investigation has been launched and at least one case of hantavirus has been confirmed.
WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Of the six affected individuals, three have died… pic.twitter.com/SqMAAZzoID
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 3, 2026
The suspected outbreak was reported on the Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde.
The British passenger became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa on April 27, where they are being treated in the intensive care unit in Johannesburg, Oceanwide Expeditions said on Monday.
They are in a critical but stable condition and a variant of hantavirus has been identified in this patient, the tour company added.
As of Monday afternoon, the ship remains off the coast of Cape Verde, with 149 people on board, 19 of whom are British passengers and four British crew members.
There are two crew members on board, of British and Dutch nationality, with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
It added that both require urgent medical care, and at this time, no one else with symptoms has been identified.
Hantavirus has not currently been confirmed in the two people still on board who require medical care, nor has it been established that the virus is connected to the three deaths associated with the voyage, the tour operator said.
The cruise’s operator said the disembarkation of passengers, medical evacuation and medical screening require permission from, and co-ordination with, the local health authorities, who have “visited the vessel and assessed the situation”.
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