Cruise ship suspected of carrying hantavirus outbreak denied port in Cape Verde

Cape Verde officials said Monday they will not allow a cruise ship suspected of carrying a rare virus outbreak to dock after three passengers died. The statement came hours after global health officials said they were urgently investigating an outbreak suspected to be caused by hantavirus on the ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Hantavirus is believed to have killed three people, including a Dutch couple, sickened at least two others on board, and left a 69-year-old British tourist in intensive care in South Africa.

Cape Verde’s health agency said it has been monitoring the situation of the ship anchored off its coast and will not allow it to dock “with the aim of protecting national public health.” The country said it is in contact with Dutch and British authorities about the Dutch-flagged vessel, which currently carries 147 passengers and crew. “This coordination allows for a rapid, safe and technically appropriate response, ensuring clinical monitoring of patients and preparation of all necessary preventive measures, including possible medical evacuation by air for patients under observation,” officials said.

The MV Hondius, which left Argentina about three weeks ago and made several stops as it crossed the Atlantic, made international headlines Sunday after the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was involved in a “public health event” on board. A European official later said the risk to the broader public remained low, adding that there was no need for panic or travel restrictions. “To date, one laboratory-confirmed case of hantavirus infection has been identified, along with five additional suspected cases,” the UN health agency said in a statement Sunday. “Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.”

South African officials said the British national was taken to a private medical facility in Johannesburg after falling ill near Ascension Island in the Atlantic. “His laboratory test results were positive for hantavirus,” a spokesperson said. South Africa’s Health Ministry said two of the victims were a Dutch couple. The 70-year-old husband experienced fever, headache and abdominal pain before dying on the ship. His 69-year-old wife later collapsed at the airport while trying to return to the Netherlands and died at a nearby hospital.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise ship operator, said late Sunday that two crew members on board required emergency medical care and were awaiting permission from Cape Verde authorities for passengers needing medical care to leave the ship. The company said it was working with Dutch authorities to arrange repatriation for the two crew members. “The bodies of the deceased are also expected to be repatriated, along with a passenger closely connected to the deceased,” the company noted, adding that the accompanying passenger “is asymptomatic.” The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of two Dutch citizens, noting both were “previously on a cruise ship near Cape Verde.”

Hantavirus infection, typically spread through urine or feces of infected rodents, can lead to severe and potentially fatal respiratory disease. South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases is conducting contact tracing in and around Johannesburg to assess whether people came into contact with the infected passenger. The British Foreign Office said it was also closely monitoring reports of the suspected outbreak. “We are in contact with the tour company and local authorities,” the office said.