Hantavirus CounterRegistro dell'epidemia sulla MV Hondius

Index case. Adult Dutch male ~70. Husband of HON-002. Onset 6 Apr 2026 with fever, headache, mild diarrhoea on board; developed respiratory distress and died on board 11 Apr 2026. No microbiological tests performed; cause of death not laboratory-confirmed. Body removed from vessel to Saint Helena 24 Apr 2026. Couple had travelled in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay before boarding 1 Apr; Argentine investigation focuses on Ushuaia bird-watching trip. Note 8 May: Tierra del Fuego epidemiology director states exposure in Ushuaia is 'almost zero' likely; investigation now favours Chubut/Río Negro/Neuquén.

Wife of HON-001. Disembarked at Saint Helena 24 Apr 2026 with gastrointestinal symptoms. Boarded Airlink flight 4Z132 St Helena to Johannesburg on 25 Apr; deteriorated during flight. Briefly boarded KLM flight KL592 Johannesburg to Amsterdam on 25 Apr (~45 min) but removed before takeoff due to medical condition; collapsed at O.R. Tambo airport. Died on arrival at hospital in Kempton Park area on 26 Apr 2026. PCR-confirmed (Andes virus) by NICD South Africa, announced 4 May 2026.

Adult British male reported to be ~69. Role contested: BBC identified him as ship's doctor; Guardian and Spanish Health Ministry describe him as expedition guide/passenger. Presented to ship's doctor on 24 Apr with febrile illness, shortness of breath and pneumonia signs; condition worsened 26 Apr. Medically evacuated from Ascension Island to private facility in Sandton, Johannesburg on 27 Apr 2026. PCR-confirmed by NICD on 2 May 2026 (Andes virus). UPDATE 8 May: Remains in ICU, critical but stable; no change in condition reported. No further update as of 11 May.

Adult German female. Onset of symptoms 28 Apr 2026 (fever, malaise) with rapid progression to pneumonia; died on board MV Hondius on 2 May 2026. UPDATE 10 May: Laboratory testing has confirmed she contracted hantavirus (Andes virus), upgrading status from suspected to confirmed (CBS News / WHO, 2026-05-10). Body removed from vessel at Tenerife on 10 May 2026 following ship's arrival at Port of Granadilla; WHO coordinated with Oceanwide for safe handling and transport of remains.

Martin Anstee, 56, British national. Identified by The Guardian and NL Times as an expedition guide / former police officer. Symptomatic (fever, fatigue, GI symptoms, shortness of breath). Evacuated by air ambulance from Cape Verde on 6 May 2026; admitted to Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). PCR-confirmed positive for Andes virus (RIVM-confirmed at LUMC, reported 7 May 2026). UPDATE 8 May: Condition stable; Anstee told Sky News he was 'feeling OK'; in isolation on infectious-diseases ward at LUMC.

65-year-old German woman. Asymptomatic at evacuation; described as a contact of HON-004. Evacuated 6 May 2026 from Cape Verde; transferred to Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf (UKD) isolation ward (one of seven Sonderisolierstationen in Germany). Samples sent to RKI Konsiliarlabor für Hantaviren for Andes virus PCR/serology. UPDATE 8 May: UKD reports 'no hantavirus detected' on initial laboratory testing; remains clinically stable and asymptomatic. Dr. Torsten Feldt (UKD head of tropical medicine): 'We cannot say she is not infected. We have not detected virus.' Isolation continues; incubation period can extend to 8 weeks; RKI reflex testing ongoing. Note: separate German national (UK resident) evacuated from Tenerife 10 May is tracked under HON-UK-MONITORED.

41-year-old Dutch national, crew member; per The Guardian and Spanish Health Ministry, this is the ship's doctor. Acutely symptomatic on board. Evacuated 6 May by second air ambulance which diverted to Gran Canaria due to electrical fault on the patient's life-support system; arrived at Schiphol morning of 7 May 2026 and admitted to Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc) in Nijmegen. UPDATE 8 May: Radboudumc/RIVM confirmed PCR-positive for hantavirus (Andes virus); standard infection-control in place; hospital stated 'no risk to other patients or visitors.' Brings WHO confirmed total to 5.

Adult Swiss male passenger. Disembarked at Saint Helena 24 Apr 2026; returned to Switzerland end of April. Responded to Oceanwide email alerting passengers; contacted GP and presented to University Hospital Zurich (USZ) where he was immediately isolated. Reference laboratory at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) confirmed Andes virus. Announced by Swiss FOPH/BAG on 6 May 2026. Reported stable on 6 May with low fever, body aches, cough. Wife asymptomatic, self-isolating as precaution. No new update as of 11 May.

67-year-old Singapore citizen male. Disembarked early from Hondius; on Airlink flight 4Z132 St Helena to Johannesburg on 25 Apr (same flight as HON-002). Arrived in Singapore 2 May 2026. Isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Had a runny nose but otherwise well. Notified to Singapore CDA on 4 May 2026. UPDATE 8 May: Tested negative for hantavirus (including Andes virus) on multiple samples per Singapore CDA. Remains in quarantine for 30 days from last exposure with retest before release; 45-day total monitoring period.

65-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident male. Disembarked early from Hondius; on Airlink flight 4Z132 St Helena to Johannesburg on 25 Apr (same flight as HON-002). Arrived in Singapore 6 May 2026. Isolated at NCID. Asymptomatic at time of testing. Notified to Singapore CDA on 5 May 2026. UPDATE 8 May: Tested negative for hantavirus (including Andes virus) on multiple samples per Singapore CDA. Remains in quarantine for 30 days from last exposure with retest before release; 45-day total monitoring period.

KLM flight attendant from Haarlem who worked KLM flight KL592 Johannesburg to Amsterdam on 25 Apr 2026. Developed mild symptoms; admitted to Amsterdam University Medical Center (Amsterdam UMC) in isolation on 7 May 2026. UPDATE 8 May: WHO DG Tedros confirmed PCR and serology both negative for Andes/hantavirus. Status: ruled out. Tedros caveat: 'the incubation period is long and although she is negative for now, she might turn positive in the future' — remains under monitoring. Two other symptomatic KL592 passengers also tested negative on 7 May. Identified by GGD Kennemerland among 5 high-risk contacts on KL592.

Third British national reported by UKHSA on 8 May 2026 as a suspected hantavirus case on Tristan da Cunha (where MV Hondius docked 13–15 Apr 2026). UKHSA and UK Minister for Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty formally describe patient as a British male islander, hospitalised on Tristan da Cunha. Spouse isolating. PCR result NOT yet available — Tristan has very limited diagnostic capacity; samples must be transported off-island. UPDATE 9–10 May: Oxygen reserves on Tristan da Cunha reached critical levels. British Army personnel from 16 Air Assault Brigade — 6 paratroopers and 2 medical clinicians — parachuted onto the island from an RAF A400M transport aircraft on 9 May 2026, also dropping oxygen supplies and medical equipment. First time UK military clinicians have been parachuted in for humanitarian purposes. Armed Forces Minister Al Carns and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the operation. No PCR result available as of 11 May.

French female passenger on MV Hondius. Asymptomatic when evacuated from Tenerife on 10 May 2026. Developed symptoms during repatriation flight to Paris; condition worsened overnight. Repatriation flight landed at Le Bourget airport; transported by ambulance to specialist infectious diseases hospital in France. PCR confirmed positive for hantavirus per French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist (radio interview, 10–11 May 2026). French PM Sébastien Lecornu placed all five passengers on the repatriation flight in strict isolation pending testing. First confirmed case among passengers evacuated at Tenerife.

American passenger evacuated from MV Hondius at Tenerife on 10 May 2026. PCR positive for Andes virus confirmed on repatriation flight; result released by HHS on 10 May. Asymptomatic at time of positive test. Transported in aircraft biocontainment unit to UNMC Nebraska Biocontainment Unit (Nebraska Medicine) at Offutt AFB Omaha; plane arrived early 11 May 2026. Will receive follow-up confirmatory testing at UNMC. First confirmed hantavirus case among US nationals linked to MV Hondius.

American passenger evacuated from MV Hondius at Tenerife on 10 May 2026. Mild symptoms reported during repatriation flight; PCR result not yet positive as of 10 May. Transported in aircraft biocontainment unit to a second ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) for clinical assessment and monitoring. Separate from HON-014 who tested PCR positive. HHS described this passenger as having 'mild symptoms' while the other was the confirmed positive.

32-year-old Spanish woman resident in Alicante. Seated two rows behind HON-002 on KLM flight KL592 (Johannesburg to Amsterdam, 25 Apr 2026; ~45-minute boarding period before HON-002 was removed at gate). Symptoms: cough and general malaise. Transferred to negative-pressure isolation room at a hospital in Alicante province. PCR sample sent to Centro Nacional de Microbiología (ISCIII, Majadahonda). Spanish Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla described it as 'a pretty unlikely case.' UPDATE 9 May: Spanish health authorities confirmed PCR result was NEGATIVE for hantavirus (PBS/AP, 2026-05-10). Status reclassified: ruled out.

One French national identified by the French Ministère de la Santé as a close contact of HON-002 on the 25 Apr 2026 Airlink flight Saint Helena to Johannesburg. In isolation in France with diagnostic tests under way. Single individually-identifiable contact among 8 French nationals. UPDATE 8 May: Earlier reports of mild symptoms appear to have been a translation error per Gizmodo/WHO press office correction (7 May); French officials now describe all 8 as monitored contact cases only. No confirmed Hondius-related infection in France as of 8 May. UPDATE 10 May: France has now expanded total contact case count to 22 across two flights; contacts have been isolating per Agences Régionales de Santé.

2026-05-08