Camille Naredo

A general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. AFP

A general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. The WHO said on May 5, 2026 that Spain would "welcome" a cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde with suspected hantavirus cases onboard, enabling a probe and assessment of the risk to the remaining passengers. 
WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters the ship would head for the Canary islands. (Photo by AFP)

Article (news)

MV Hondius

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777993906159AFP__20260505__A9V68MX__v2__MidRes__TopshotCapeVerdeHealthTourism.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="A general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. <em>AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>PRAIA, Cape Verde -- Health authorities raced Tuesday to find a port for a cruise ship battling a hantavirus outbreak, as it remained off the West African coast with passengers isolating after three people died.</p><p>The World Health Organization said the MV Hondius could head from Cape Verde to Spain&#x27;s Canary Islands, though Spanish authorities said they wanted health data from the expedition vessel before opening up a port.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/5/what-is-hantavirus-and-can-it-spread-between-humans-0926">READ: What is hantavirus, and can it spread between humans?</a></div><p>The ship had been on an adventure cruise from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde off west Africa. It has been at the centre of an international alert since Saturday after it was revealed that the rare disease -- spread from infected rodents typically through urine, droppings and saliva -- was suspected in three deaths.</p><p>The priority now is to evacuate two sick crew members who require urgent care -- potentially to the Netherlands -- and &quot;then the ship can move&quot;, WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove said in Geneva.</p><p>So far, two hantavirus cases have been confirmed -- including in one of the fatalities -- with five further suspected cases among the 147 passengers and crew, the WHO said.</p><p>Three of those seven have died, one was critically ill and three had reported milder symptoms, including one who is now asymptomatic, it said.</p><p>One of the dead, a Dutch woman, had left the ship at the Atlantic island of Saint Helena and had flown to Johannesburg where she died on April 26. The WHO said it was trying to contact people who were on the same flight.</p><p>Passengers and crew have meanwhile been in isolation on the MV Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, after Cape Verde authorities barred it from docking.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Human-to-human transmission? -</strong></div><p>According to Van Kerkhove, Spanish authorities had &quot;said that they will welcome the ship to do... a full epidemiologic investigation&quot;. They would also conduct a &quot;full disinfection of the ship and... assess the risk of the passengers.&quot;</p><p>Spain&#x27;s health ministry said that a decision on where to send the vessel would be based &quot;on the epidemiological data collected from the ship during its stopover in Cape Verde&quot;. The Canary Islands government said it wanted the ship sent to mainland Spain.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/5/who-tracing-contacts-of-hantavirus-cruise-ship-passenger-1612">READ: WHO says two hantavirus cases confirmed, five suspected on cruise ship</a></div><p>Passengers from Britain, Spain and the United States, as well as <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/5/5/health-emergency-on-the-mv-hondius-what-we-know-0919">crew largely from the Philippines</a>, were among 23 nationalities on the MV Hondius.</p><p>The WHO was scrambling for answers about how hantavirus had appeared on the ship, which set off from Ushuaia on April 1.</p><p>The first person who died developed symptoms on April 6, according to the UN health agency which said it was alerted on Saturday.</p><p>Human-to-human transmission has only been reported in previous outbreaks of one specific hantavirus called Andes virus, which circulates in South America.</p><p>Van Kerkhove said the virus species had yet to be confirmed, but highlighted that WHO had been told &quot;there are no rats on board&quot; the ship.</p><p>South African researchers were working sequencing the data, said Van Kerkhove, who added that &quot;our working assumption is that it is the Andes virus&quot;.</p><p>&quot;We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts&quot;.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Contact tracing -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CsfFY8t2mz8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>The first two people to die were a Dutch couple -- a man who died on April 11 and his wife who died after she disembarked in Saint Helena to accompany his body.</p><p>The wife was suffering from &quot;gastrointestinal symptoms&quot; and &quot;deteriorated&quot; during a flight to Johannesburg on April 25, the WHO said. She died the following day.</p><p>Van Kerkhove said contact tracing had been initiated for people on the flight. She stressed that human-to-human transmission typically only happened &quot;among very close contacts&quot;.</p><p>The ship&#x27;s operator said a British passenger was in intensive care in Johannesburg. The two crew still on board -- one British and one Dutch -- needed urgent care, WHO said.</p><p>Van Kerkhove said the typical incubation period for the hantavirus was between one and six weeks, leading the WHO to believe that the Dutch couple, who had been travelling in South America, &quot;were infected off the ship&quot;.</p><p>The Hondius, she highlighted, was an expedition vessel, with passengers going ashore on Atlantic islands to do birdwatching and other activities -- meaning there could be &quot;some source of infection on the islands&quot;.</p><p>The WHO has said the risk to the global population from the outbreak is &quot;low&quot;.</p>

<p>Health authorities raced Tuesday to find a port for a cruise ship battling a hantavirus outbreak, as it remained off the West African coast with passengers isolating after three people died.</p>

Health authorities raced Tuesday to find a port for a cruise ship battling a hantavirus outbreak, as it remained off the West African coast with passengers isolating after three people died.

Race to find port for cruise ship battling deadly rodent virus

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Health & Science

Race to find port for cruise ship battling deadly rodent virus

Agence France-Presse

Published May 05, 2026 11:39 PM PHT

Read More:

Praia

Cape Verde

health

hantavirus

MV Hondius

World Health Organization

Canary Islands

adventure cruise

WHO

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.