Argentine authorities are racing to trace the source of a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, which departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, for Antarctica. The World Health Organization (WHO) consistently ranks Argentina as having the highest incidence of hantavirus in Latin America. The Argentine health ministry reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, roughly double the previous year.
The outbreak involves the Andes virus, a South American strain that can cause severe and often fatal hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Nearly a third of cases in Argentina over the past year have been fatal. Three passengers have died, one is in intensive care in South Africa, and three others were evacuated on Wednesday. Another passenger who left the ship earlier tested positive in Switzerland.
Argentina is sending genetic material and testing equipment to Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the UK to aid detection. The virus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents, but limited human-to-human transmission has been observed with the Andes strain. Authorities are tracing the itineraries of infected passengers to identify close contacts and prevent further spread.
Concern has arisen about 23 passengers who disembarked on Saint Helena on 23 April and returned to their home countries, including the United States. American passengers are being monitored in Georgia, California, and Arizona, though none have shown symptoms. The WHO says the first death, a 70-year-old Dutch man, occurred on 11 April; his wife died later in South Africa.
The virus has an incubation period of one to eight weeks, making it difficult to determine whether infection occurred before departure, during a stopover, or onboard. The WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that the overall public health risk remains low. The ship, with nearly 150 people onboard, has been cleared to dock in the Canary Islands after evacuations, though local officials have expressed concern.
