{"id":"579d59f0-5f73-49dc-93d1-fa446d8ca45d","code":"mv-hondius-2026","name":"MV Hondius hantavirus cluster","serotype_code":"ANDV","started_at":"2026-04-06","ended_at":null,"status":"active","summary":"Andes virus (ANDV) cluster aboard the MV Hondius polar expedition cruise. The probable index case is a 70-year-old Dutch man who boarded in Ushuaia on 2026-04-01, developed fever, headache and diarrhea on 2026-04-06, and died on board 2026-04-11. His 69-year-old spouse disembarked at Saint Helena on 2026-04-24 and died in South Africa on 2026-04-26; PCR confirmed Andes hantavirus on her samples and is the laboratory confirmation that anchors the cluster. Pre-boarding exposure is suspected during bird-watching at a landfill site near Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego), where the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) — the natural ANDV reservoir — is present. Andes virus is the only orthohantavirus with documented person-to-person transmission, which explains onboard spread to crew and other passengers despite no rodents on the ship. Incubation 1 to 8 weeks; the cruise was already at sea before symptoms appeared. As of 2026-05-11 (WHO DON 600 / ECDC update): 9 total cases, 7 lab-confirmed, 2 probable, 3 deaths.\n\n[2026-05-13 update] WHO raised the cluster total to 9 confirmed + 2 probable + 3 deaths in the Tuesday 12 May 2026 update (per CNN reporting; primary WHO bulletin pending direct ingestion). 18 US passengers at quarantine facilities (16 Nebraska, 2 Emory Atlanta — Emory case tested NEGATIVE for the Andes strain). 122 of 147 evacuated from the Canary Islands; 27 sailing to Rotterdam for disinfection.","primary_location_country_iso2":"AR","primary_location_name":"Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) — bird-watching at landfill site, pre-boarding exposure","primary_vessel_imo":"9817361","primary_vessel_name":"MV Hondius","primary_vessel_mmsi":"246879000","primary_vessel_flag":"NL","confirmed_cases":7,"suspected_cases":2,"deaths":3,"recovered":0,"authority_source_code":"who-don","authority_reported_at":"2026-05-11T12:00:00Z","corroborating_sources":3,"countries":[{"country_iso2":"FR","confirmed_count":7,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":"2026-05-11"},{"country_iso2":"CV","confirmed_count":3,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":null},{"country_iso2":"ES","confirmed_count":2,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":"2026-05-10"},{"country_iso2":"NL","confirmed_count":1,"suspected_count":1,"deaths":2,"first_reported_at":"2026-04-06"},{"country_iso2":"US","confirmed_count":1,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":"2026-05-11"},{"country_iso2":"AR","confirmed_count":0,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":"2026-03-25"},{"country_iso2":"GB","confirmed_count":0,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":"2026-05-10"},{"country_iso2":"SH","confirmed_count":0,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":0,"first_reported_at":"2026-04-24"},{"country_iso2":"ZA","confirmed_count":0,"suspected_count":0,"deaths":1,"first_reported_at":"2026-04-26"}],"counts_history":[{"confirmed_cases":9,"suspected_cases":2,"deaths":3,"recovered":0,"source_code":"cnn","source_name":"CNN — Cable News Network","reported_at":"2026-05-12T19:01:00Z","nato_reliability":"B","nato_credibility":2,"src_citation":"[PUBLIC] CNN (B2) reporting WHO Tuesday 12 May 2026 update: 9 confirmed + 2 probable + 3 deaths. Pettersson H et al., \"Visualizing the hantavirus cruise outbreak in maps and charts\" CNN, last updated 2026-05-12 14:43 ET.","notes":"WHO updated figures from DON 600 (7 confirmed) to 9 confirmed on 12 May per CNN secondary citation. Two newly-confirmed cases have not yet been per-country-attributed by primary WHO source; per-country counts therefore unchanged pending the next WHO DON bulletin (which the who-don connector will pick up automatically)."},{"confirmed_cases":7,"suspected_cases":2,"deaths":3,"recovered":0,"source_code":"ecdc-tessy","source_name":"ECDC Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases","reported_at":"2026-05-11T14:00:00Z","nato_reliability":"A","nato_credibility":2,"src_citation":"[PUBLIC] ECDC (A2) \"Andes hantavirus outbreak — surveillance and updates\" European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2026-05-11","notes":"ECDC surveillance update corroborating WHO DON 600. ECDC link: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/infectious-disease-topics/hantavirus-infection/surveillance-and-updates/andes-hantavirus-outbreak"},{"confirmed_cases":7,"suspected_cases":2,"deaths":3,"recovered":0,"source_code":"who-don","source_name":"WHO Disease Outbreak News","reported_at":"2026-05-11T12:00:00Z","nato_reliability":"A","nato_credibility":1,"src_citation":"[PUBLIC] WHO (A1) \"Disease Outbreak News 2026-DON600: Andes hantavirus — MV Hondius cluster\" World Health Organization, 2026-05-11","notes":"WHO DON 600 corrected count: 9 total (7 lab-confirmed PCR positive for Andes hantavirus + 2 probable including the deceased Dutch index case). 3 deaths recorded among the total: index case (70M NL) died on board 2026-04-11; spouse (69F NL) died in South Africa 2026-04-26; one additional fatality not yet publicly attributed."}]}