UK and US activate virus protocols after deadly hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

07 May 2026 , 23:00

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The UK and US have activated virus control protocols to combat the possible spread of a rodent-borne illness from a cruise ship, as it emerged that a handful of passengers had already scattered around the world.

The virus-hit ship, the MV Hondius, is due to arrive in the Canary Islands at the weekend with its nearly 150 passengers, but some people left the vessel in late April at an earlier stop on the Atlantic island of St Helena.

Three people who were on the ship have died and in total eight cases of the hantavirus have been confirmed. The situation has revived memories of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but health officials say there is no evidence the rodent-borne virus can spread as easily.

In Britain, Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency, said two ship passengers who were already in the country were self-isolating at home while the authorities carried out the “mammoth” task of tracing their contacts.

He confirmed on Thursday that a Briton was one of three people evacuated from the ship the previous day and flown to the Netherlands. “He is going to be under investigation for some time. I’m very pleased he’s now in hospital and receiving the treatment he needs,” May told BBC Breakfast.

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was “closely monitoring” the situation of US passengers aboard the ship.

The cruise ship MV Hondius is seen from above in open water near a coastline, preparing to depart Praia, Cape Verde. dqxikeidqkikdinv

The US state department, it said, was “leading a co-ordinated, whole-of-government response including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic co-ordination and engagement with domestic and international health authorities”. It added: “At this time, the risk to the American public is extremely low.”

In the state of Georgia, the health department said it was monitoring two state residents who had been on MV Hondius but showed no signs of infection, the New York Times reported.

Once the ship arrives in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain plans to offload passengers on Monday. Fourteen Spanish citizens will be flown to a Madrid military hospital to be put into quarantine. The authorities in other countries must decide how to handle their own citizens.

The moves by the US and UK authorities highlight the difficulties created by the potentially long incubation periods of hantaviruses, with symptoms taking up to eight weeks to appear after initial exposure.

The virus is carried by rats and mice and often spread via their faeces, urine or saliva. The pathogen can cause internal bleeding, respiratory problems and kidney failure.

The Andes viral strain identified by testing of Hondius passengers has previously been flagged by researchers as spreading through limited human-to-human transmission.

The UK response seemed “balanced” given the apparent levels of risk, said Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

“Evidence suggests that human-to-human transmission is possible, but the risk is low and requires very close contact,” Ball said. “Self-isolation, and monitoring for the appearance of any virus-like symptoms — for example fever and aches — together with repeat testing over several weeks will help ensure early detection and prevent any risk of onward infection.”

Authorities in Argentina are investigating whether the passengers picked up the virus in the country, where the Hondius had previously stopped and from where it left on April 1.

A Dutch couple who were passengers on the ship, who both died, had also visited Chile and Uruguay, Argentina’s health ministry said.

The first Dutch passenger died on board on April 11. His wife, who was later evacuated, died in Johannesburg on April 26. A third passenger, a German national, passed away on the ship on May 2.