An outbreak of hantavirus has been confirmed on board the MV Hondius cruise ship, with at least 23 exposed passengers - including two Britons.

00:06, Thu, May 7, 2026 Updated: 00:44, Thu, May 7, 2026

Health workers in protective gear have evacuated patients from the MV Hondius

Health workers in protective gear evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship into an ambulance at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) (Image: AP)

Britons are amongst 23 Hantavirus cruise passengers 'wandering around' after being exposed to a deadly 'rat disease' following the cruise company's decision to allow some travellers to disembark the vessel.

Get the latest news from around the world and more Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

At least 23 passengers have already departed the boat and returned home, with reports suggesting one has already fallen ill.

Amongst those who have returned are two Britons.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that two individuals who had been aboard the cruise have returned to Britain and are self-isolating after not displaying any symptoms.

One passenger said: "There are 23 people wandering around there, and until three days ago, no one had contacted them,"

The passenger told Spanish newspaper El Pais: "The Australian went back to Australia, the one from Taiwan to Taiwan, the Americans to all corners of North America. The Englishman to England, the Dutch to their homes... I don't remember the rest."

Authorities said that one of those passengers, a Swiss man who returned home with his wife, tested positive for hantavirus on Wednesday.

He was initially admitted to a hospital in Zurich and tested negative for the virus – which can remain dormant for up to eight weeks.

An expansive cruise ship, with a blue hull and white superstructure, navigates through calm ocean waters. Adjacent to it, a smal

TOPSHOT - An aerial view of an ambulance boat carrying crew members wearing hazmat suits as they approach the pilot door on the starboard side of the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. Two seriously ill crew members on a cruise ship stricken by a deadly hantavirus outbreak will be evacuated via Cape Verde to the Netherlands, allowing the vessel to sail on to Spain's Canary Islands, the ship operator said Tuesday.The MV Hondius has been at the centre of an international health scare since Saturday, when WHO was informed that the rare disease -- usually spread from infected rodents typically through urine, droppings and saliva -- was suspected of being behind the deaths of three of its passengers.As others fell ill, passengers and crew have been in isolation after Cape Verde authorities barred the ship from docking, and as health authorities scrambled to find a port that would take the Hondius. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A passenger claimed that the WHO didn't initiate contacting those who have exited the boat until three days ago, despite the first passenger becoming unwell on April 6.

The WHO stated on Wednesday that Oceanwide Expeditions had emailed former passengers regarding the outbreak, though failed to specify when this communication was dispatched.

"International contact tracing is ongoing.

"Passengers who disembarked from the ship were informed of the hantavirus case by the ships' operators and asked to report any signs and symptoms," a WHO spokesperson said.

The UKHSA confirmed it was supporting "a small number of individuals identified as close contacts" of those aboard the vessel.

The body said: "They are being offered support and are also self-isolating. None are reporting any symptoms.

"The risk to the general public remains very low."