Two passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius following a confirmed outbreak of hantavirus are now receiving treatment in the Netherlands, according to cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
The operator said the two patients remain in serious condition, while a third passenger, reported to be stable, was aboard a delayed evacuation flight.
The vessel is currently sailing towards Canary Islands after spending three days anchored near Cape Verde off the West African coast.
The evacuees include British, Dutch and German nationals. Oceanwide Expeditions said the 65-year-old German passenger was closely linked to a German woman who died aboard the ship on May 2.
British media have identified the British evacuee as Martin Anstee, a 56-year-old former police officer who is understood to be in a stable condition in the Netherlands. A 41-year-old Dutch crew member was also among those evacuated.
Three people connected to the voyage have died since the ship departed Argentina a month ago.
Health authorities in the United States are also monitoring three passengers who disembarked earlier in the journey. Officials in Georgia confirmed that two residents are under observation but remain healthy and symptom-free, while authorities in Arizona said another passenger is also being monitored without symptoms.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization confirmed that a man who travelled to Switzerland after leaving the ship tested positive for hantavirus and is receiving treatment in a hospital in Zurich.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the patient came forward after receiving an email alert from the ship’s operator regarding the outbreak.
According to the WHO, eight hantavirus cases linked to the ship have so far been identified — three confirmed and five suspected. A total of 146 people from 23 countries remain on board under strict precautionary measures.
South African authorities say tests conducted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed the Andes strain of hantavirus in two patients. The strain, commonly associated with Latin America, has previously shown evidence of human-to-human transmission during outbreaks.
Health officials in South Africa are continuing contact tracing efforts after one of the deceased passengers travelled through the country. The Dutch woman had disembarked on Saint Helena before travelling to Johannesburg, where she later died on April 26.
WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said health teams are tracing passengers from the flight she took. KLM also confirmed the woman briefly boarded a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam before crew members prevented her from continuing due to her medical condition.
The third fatality, a German woman, has not yet been confirmed as a hantavirus case, and her body remains on the ship pending further investigation.
Authorities say none of the three medically evacuated passengers have tested positive so far, although two are displaying symptoms.
In the United Kingdom, health authorities confirmed that two British passengers who disembarked earlier in the voyage are self-isolating at home after possible exposure to the virus.
The ship had 19 British passengers and four British crew members on board, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.
Spanish authorities have approved the ship’s planned arrival in Tenerife, despite opposition from Fernando Clavijo, who criticised the decision and claimed local authorities had not been provided with enough information.
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said all passengers would undergo medical screening upon arrival. International travellers deemed fit to travel will be repatriated, while Spanish nationals will quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid.
Dr Van Kerkhove stressed that hantavirus transmission differs significantly from illnesses such as COVID-19 and influenza, noting that close physical contact is generally required for human-to-human spread. Health officials continue to maintain that the risk to the broader public remains low.