Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that can infect people and cause illness.
09:17, Wed, May 27, 2026 Updated: 10:55, Wed, May 27, 2026
The MV Hondius (Image: Getty)
The number of cases of Hantavirus linked to a cruise ship at the centre of an outbreak has increased to 13, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday. A Spanish national who evacuated the cruise ship MV Hondius is now isolating at a hospital in Madrid, Spain’s Ministry of Health confirmed.
Following the case's confirmation, the patient was transferred to the hospital’s High-Level Isolation Unit (UATAN), where they will remain under specialised medical supervision. "Spain reported a new case among the passengers who are in quarantine, which brings the total number of cases to 13," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. Three people died, but no new deaths have been reported since May 2, according to Ghebreyesus.
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13 passengers have now tested positive (Image: Getty)
"The situation remains stable. Passengers who got sick are receiving needed care, while others remain in quarantine," Ghebreyesus said.
Over the past two weeks all remaining passengers, crew members and medical staff disembarked the luxury cruise liner at the centre of the outbreak.
Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses that can infect people and cause illness. The WHO estimates there are 10,000 to 100,000 human cases globally each year, with severity varying by strain.
Twenty-nine passengers left the ship at Saint Helena before the outbreak was identified. Among them was Miriam Schilperoord, 69 - wife of patient zero.
By the time she reached South Africa she was too unwell to board a KLM flight and subsequently died.
Everyone has now disembarked the luxury cruise liner (Image: Getty)
Hantavirus is a rare yet potentially fatal disease, typically transmitted to humans through exposure to the urine, faeces, or saliva of infected rodents.
Symptoms typically begin to show 1 to 8 weeks after exposure to infected rodents. Many countries are monitoring passengers for a minimum of 42 days, counted from the day they got off the ship.
Symptoms start abruptly and can feel like a flu-like illness. Other early indicators include headaches, chills, dizziness, and many develop abdominal pain or gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea.
There is no specific cure, medication or vaccine for the virus; treatment relies on early detection, and patients must receive intensive support care while their immune system fights the illness.
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