MV Hondius hantavirus cluster

ACTIVO ANDV · iniciado 6 de April de 2026

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. [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.

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