3 DEAD, 1 CONFIRMED CASE AS MV HONDIUS ISOLATED OFF WEST AFRICA OVER SUSPECTED HANTAVIRUS

Polar expedition motor vessel (MV) Hondius remains isolated off the coast of West Africa after multiple suspected cases of hantavirus, including three deaths, prompted health concerns among authorities.

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is carrying 149 people of various nationalities. Most of the 61 crew members are Filipino.

The boat en route from Argentina to Cape Verde has reported three lives lost and others in critical condition.

Departed on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina. The first death occurred ten days later on April 11 when a 70-year-old Dutch man died on board of undetermined causes—His body was later repatriated to Saint Helena accompanied by his 69-year-old wife.

On April 27, the wife became severely ill and was evacuated to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she later died, according to South African health ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale.

In a separate case on the same day, a 69-year-old British passenger was also evacuated to South Africa and remains in intensive care in critical but stable condition, Mohale added.

A third fatality was reported on May 2, when another passenger died while the vessel remained at sea. Details surrounding the individual, including nationality and cause of death, have not yet been disclosed.

South African health officials have confirmed that a hantavirus variant was identified in the British patient—the only laboratory-confirmed case thus far.

Two additional crew members, one British and one Dutch, are currently experiencing acute respiratory symptoms, with one case described as severe and requiring urgent medical attention. Both remain on board the vessel.

According to the World Health Organization, the vessel is carrying 88 passengers, including 19 from Britain, 17 from the United States, and 13 from Spain.

Hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus transmitted through exposure to infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, often via inhalation of airborne particles.

Some variants in the Americas can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness.

Human-to-human transmission is rare and has only been documented in limited cases involving a specific South American strain, primarily in situations where close contact occurs, such as in families or healthcare settings.

With the Cape Verde authorities prohibiting the passengers from disembarking on the island, the ship's operators are considering sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands for docking and medical screening.