HORIZON · Hantavirus Tracker

MV Hondius hantavirus cluster

ACTIVE ANDV · started 6 April 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.

3
Confirmed
1
Suspected
3
Deaths
4
Countries

Per-country breakdown

CountryConfirmedSuspectedDeaths
Netherlands1 confirmed1 suspected2 deaths
France1 confirmed0 suspected0 deaths
United States1 confirmed0 suspected0 deaths
South Africa0 confirmed0 suspected1 deaths
Argentina0 confirmed0 suspected0 deaths
Spain0 confirmed0 suspected0 deaths
United Kingdom0 confirmed0 suspected0 deaths
Saint Helena0 confirmed0 suspected0 deaths

Authoritative-source history

2026-05-12B2 CNN — Cable News Network9 confirmed · 3 deaths
2026-05-11A2 ECDC Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases7 confirmed · 3 deaths
2026-05-11A1 WHO Disease Outbreak News7 confirmed · 3 deaths

Vessel context

MV Hondius · IMO 9817361 · MMSI 246879000

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