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. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros confirmed on May 7, 2026 that 5 lab-confirmed Andes hantavirus infections and 3 deaths have been linked to passengers and crew of the ship. The vessel travelled the South Atlantic via Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island before heading toward Tenerife.

Per the WHO Director-General's May 7, 2026 briefing, 5 cases have been laboratory-confirmed as Andes hantavirus by PCR. These confirmed infections are distributed across the Netherlands (2 Dutch nationals tested in NL), South Africa (Case 2 who died in Johannesburg and Case 3 evacuated from Ascension Island and now in ICU), and Switzerland (a male passenger confirmed by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health). Two further Dutch nationals tested positive in the Netherlands.

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.

Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain with documented person-to-person transmission, but documented secondary transmission requires close, prolonged contact — typically household or intimate-care settings during the symptomatic phase. There is no evidence that Andes virus spreads efficiently through casual contact, brief encounters, or general public exposure. WHO and CDC continue to assess the general public risk from this cluster as low.

Three deaths have been reported in connection with the cluster as of May 7, 2026. Only one — a 69-year-old Dutch woman (Case 2) who died in Johannesburg's emergency department on April 26 — has been PCR-confirmed as caused by Andes hantavirus per CNN and the WHO Director-General's briefing. Two further deaths remain under investigation: a 70-year-old Dutch man (Case 1) who died onboard April 11, and a German woman who died onboard May 2 (per Al Jazeera).

At least 11 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), and Saint Helena. Twenty-three nationalities were aboard MV Hondius according to Reuters and the WHO Disease Outbreak News.

The WHO Director-General explicitly assessed the general public health risk as LOW in his May 7, 2026 briefing. 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 reviewed and updated approximately every 12 hours when new information is published by Tier 1–3 sources (official health agencies, institutional press releases, and reputable news organizations). 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.