The World Health Organisation has launched an extensive international contact-tracing effort after two passengers infected with hantavirus died following a flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg. The two deceased passengers, a Dutch couple, had earlier been evacuated from the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius after falling ill during the voyage. Health authorities are now attempting to trace and contact everyone who travelled alongside them on the evacuation route, particularly the 82 passengers and six crew members aboard the Airlink-operated flight to South Africa. Officials fear that fellow travellers, airline crew members and others who came into close contact with the infected passengers may have been exposed during the journey. South African authorities have instructed the airline to notify passengers and advise them to immediately contact health departments if symptoms develop or if they suspect possible exposure.
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has rapidly developed into a major multinational health and maritime emergency involving governments, health agencies and port authorities across multiple continents. The cruise vessel, carrying 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 countries, had embarked on a luxury Antarctic expedition beginning in Argentina before several passengers started developing severe symptoms linked to hantavirus. Since then, three confirmed deaths connected to the voyage have been reported, while multiple others have fallen ill. The ship has remained stranded off the coast of Cape Verde after local authorities refused permission for passengers to disembark due to fears surrounding the possible spread of the disease. As conditions onboard worsened and concern grew internationally, Spain agreed to allow the vessel to dock in the Canary Islands, where authorities are preparing large-scale screening, medical treatment and repatriation operations for passengers and crew members.
Health officials have said hantavirus is generally a rare but dangerous disease that is primarily spread through exposure to infected rodents and their bodily fluids, including saliva, urine and droppings. Infection usually occurs when contaminated particles become airborne and are inhaled by humans in enclosed or contaminated environments. However, the Hondius outbreak has raised particular alarm because the WHO now suspects that limited human-to-human transmission may also have occurred onboard the ship. Officials said the infection pattern strongly suggests that close-contact transmission may have taken place between individuals sharing cabins or spending prolonged periods together during the voyage. Although such transmission is considered rare, the possibility has significantly increased global concern because it changes the nature of the public health response required to contain the outbreak.
The first confirmed fatality linked to the outbreak was the Dutch male passenger, who died on April 11 after becoming critically ill during the expedition. His body reportedly remained on board the vessel for nearly two weeks before it was eventually removed at Saint Helena on April 24. His wife, who accompanied the repatriation process, later developed symptoms herself and reportedly deteriorated rapidly during the flight to Johannesburg before dying shortly after arriving in South Africa on April 26. Authorities later confirmed the death of a German passenger connected to the same outbreak, while one patient currently remains critically ill in Johannesburg. Several additional passengers and crew members onboard the ship have also reported symptoms, though some are believed to have only mild illness, and one individual is reportedly now asymptomatic. The WHO has continued monitoring all suspected and confirmed cases closely as medical investigations continue.
The crisis has triggered a coordinated international response involving the WHO, European health agencies, South African authorities, Spanish officials and the Dutch government as efforts intensify to manage both the medical and logistical dimensions of the outbreak. Authorities are preparing medical evacuations, passenger screenings and controlled repatriation procedures once the vessel reaches the Canary Islands. Special precautions are also being implemented to avoid exposure to local populations and healthcare workers during the docking and treatment process. Although the WHO has stressed that the wider public risk currently remains relatively low, officials continue to treat the situation with extreme caution because human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is uncommon and not fully understood. The organisation has also reassured stranded passengers that governments and international agencies are actively coordinating efforts to ensure their safety while investigations into the source and spread of the outbreak continue.
