The MV Hondius Andes hantavirus cluster is a confirmed outbreak of Andes virus (a strain of hantavirus) linked to the Dutch expedition cruise vessel MV Hondius, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, 2026. Per WHO DON600 (8 May 2026) and subsequent confirmations: 8 PCR-confirmed cases and 2 probable, with 3 deaths total (2 PCR-confirmed, 1 probable). The vessel travelled the South Atlantic via Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island before arriving at Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife on May 10 2026. Disembarkation of all 147 passengers and crew was completed May 11 2026. Passengers are being repatriated to their home countries via coordinated government flights.

8 laboratory-confirmed Andes hantavirus infections and 2 probable cases — 10 total. New confirmed cases as of May 11 2026: one American passenger (PCR positive, in biocontainment at Nebraska Medicine NQU) and one French woman (confirmed by French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist). Earlier confirmed cases are distributed across the Netherlands (Cases 5 and 6 — ship's doctor and ship's guide, both evacuated to the Netherlands), South Africa (Cases 2 and 3), Switzerland (Case 7), and the United Kingdom (Case 3 — British national in Johannesburg ICU). Two cases remain probable pending final laboratory confirmation (Case 1 — Dutch man who died onboard April 11; Case 8 — British national who disembarked at Tristan da Cunha). Source: ECDC May 11 2026, HHS, French Ministry of Health, WHO DON600 (8 May 2026).

A confirmed case is someone whose Andes hantavirus infection has been verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab testing. A monitored contact is a person who may have been exposed — for example, by sharing a flight or living quarters with a confirmed case — but who has not tested positive and may be entirely asymptomatic. Public-health agencies including the U.S. CDC and the UK's UKHSA actively monitor exposed contacts as a routine precaution; monitoring does not indicate infection.

WHO DON600 (8 May 2026) states: current evidence points to subsequent human-to-human transmission onboard, based on documented epidemiological links between subsequent cases and Case 1 during his illness, and symptom timing consistent with ANDV incubation periods. Sequencing investigations are ongoing. WHO DON600. Andes virus remains the only hantavirus strain with documented person-to-person transmission. Documented secondary transmission requires close, prolonged contact — typically household or intimate-care settings during the symptomatic phase, and remains rare outside cluster settings such as MV Hondius. There is no evidence that Andes virus spreads efficiently through casual contact, brief encounters, or general public exposure.

Three deaths have been reported in connection with the cluster as of May 10 2026. Two are PCR-confirmed as caused by Andes hantavirus: a Dutch woman (Case 2) who died in Johannesburg on April 26, and a German woman (Case 4) who died onboard May 2 and was confirmed by post-mortem PCR per CNN and RKI. One death remains probable: a Dutch man (Case 1) who died onboard April 11; no microbiological tests were performed, but WHO classified him as a probable case in DON600 based on epidemiological linkage. Source: WHO DON600, 8 May 2026.

At least 13 countries have publicly acknowledged contact-monitoring or active response: the Netherlands (RIVM), South Africa (NICD / Africa CDC), Switzerland (FOPH), the United States (CDC, multiple states), the United Kingdom (UKHSA), Germany (RKI), France (Santé publique France), Singapore (CDA), Canada (PHAC), Spain (Ministerio de Sanidad — 14 ship nationals + mainland flight contacts: 3 monitored, 1 suspected case in Alicante pending second PCR), Ireland (HSE — National Incident Management Team activated May 9, Mater Hospital Dublin designated as receiving facility), and Saint Helena. Twenty-three nationalities were aboard MV Hondius according to Reuters and the WHO Disease Outbreak News.

WHO global risk assessment: LOW.
WHO onboard risk assessment (passengers and crew on MV Hondius): MODERATE.
Source: WHO DON600, 8 May 2026. Andes hantavirus does not spread through casual contact or shared public spaces. Active monitoring of contacts is precautionary, not a sign of community spread. People with no link to MV Hondius passengers or to the Patagonian environment do not need to take any special precautions.

This tracker is monitored and updated every 6 hours via automated source checks across WHO, CDC, RIVM, RKI, and national health ministries. Each record carries a confidence score (0–100) and source tier. For real-time official guidance, consult the WHO and your national public health authority directly. See the latest change log at /updates.