WHO confirms hantavirus infection in deceased woman from the Netherlands

©Hongjin Wang via Unsplash

The World Health Organization, in an official report it published Monday on its channels, confirmed that the 69-year-old Dutch woman who died on the cruise ship was indeed infected with the hantavirus.

Three people on board the Dutch cruise ship m/v Hondius of shipping company Oceanwide Expeditions have since died due to a respiratory infection. They are a Dutch couple of 70 and 69 and a German woman. They fell ill possibly due to infection with the hantavirus. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms this. The 70-year-old Dutchman reportedly was the first to show symptoms of the hantavirus and died on the ship. AFP reports that her body disembarked on the island of St. Helena, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. The 69-year-old Dutch wife  still transferred to a hospital in Johannesburg, but succumbed in hospital not much later. WHO now confirms that an autopsy revealed that she was also infected with the hantavirus. Another man is still in critical condition in hospital in South Africa.

More hanta infections on board

Meanwhile, the hantavirus was also officially identified in the deceased Dutch woman and the man in the hospital, but the WHO suspects that the Dutch man who died was also infected. In addition to these four, WHO believes at least four other people have been infected. They have high fever and other symptoms, but should remain on board. Among them are at least one Dutchman and a Briton who are part of the crew.

What exactly happened on the cruise?

On May 2, 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization. The ship was carrying 147 passengers and crew. As of May 4, 2026, seven cases had already been identified: two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections as well as five suspected cases, including three deaths, one patient in critical condition and three persons with mild symptoms. The onset of symptoms was identified between April 6 and April 28, 2026, and was characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock. Further investigation is ongoing. The outbreak is being addressed through a coordinated international response, with in-depth investigation, patient isolation and care, medical evacuation and laboratory testing.

Hantavirus dangerous to us all?

Human hantavirus infection is contracted primarily through contact with urine, feces or saliva from infected rodents. It's a rare but serious disease that can be fatal. Although unusual, limited human-to-human transmission has been reported in previous outbreaks of the Andean virus, a specific hantavirus species. WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this incident as low and continues to monitor the epidemiological situation and updates its risk assessment. This was reported by WHO in its official communication.

Sick crew members and passengers must remain on board for now

The Dutch cruise ship left three weeks ago with some 150 passengers for a trip to the South Pole and the Falkland Islands, among others. It is currently off the coast of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. For now, Cape Verdean authorities are not giving permission for the two sick crew members to disembark. Local health officials did visit the ship to examine the two.

©Hongjin Wang via Unsplash - illustration image