Key Questions In Bid To Stop Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak

Health officials working to manage a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship MV Hondius face a series of questions-from how to safely manage passengers on board to how potential cases are tracked across borders and how patients can be treated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a Thursday briefing that eight cases have been reported so far, including three deaths. Of these, five have been confirmed as hantavirus, while the remaining three are considered suspected.

Here are five key questions being asked about the hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius:

What Are They Doing With Passengers on the Ship?

In its briefing on the situation, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said guidance had been issued to the ship's operator for managing those on board the vessel.

Passengers had been asked to stay in their cabins, which are being disinfected, and anyone presenting symptoms would be isolated immediately.

A WHO expert boarded the ship in Cape Verde, joined by two doctors from the Netherlands and an expert from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. They are conducting a medical assessment of those on board to determine their infection risk, Ghebreyesus said in a Thursday briefing.

"WHO is developing step-by-step operational guidance for the safe and respectful disembarkation and onward travel of passengers and crew when they arrive," he added.

Operator Oceanwide Expeditions saidMV Hondius departed Cape Verde on Wednesday and is sailing for the port of Granadilla in the Canary Islands-a journey expected to take three to four days.

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What are the Symptoms of the Andes Strain of the Hantavirus?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPCS typically develops one to eight weeks after exposure to an infected rodent, with early flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, fever and muscle aches-especially in large muscle groups such as the thighs, hips and back. About half of patients also experience headaches, dizziness, chills and gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Within four to 10 days, the disease can progress, leading to coughing and shortness of breath, sometimes accompanied by chest tightness as fluid builds up in the lungs. The condition can be severe, with around 38 percent of patients who develop respiratory symptoms dying from the disease, the CDC says.

HFRS symptoms, by contrast, usually appear within one to two weeks of exposure, though it can take up to eight weeks in rare cases, the CDC says.

It can begin abruptly with symptoms including intense headaches, fever, chills, back and abdominal pain, nausea and blurred vision. Patients may also develop facial flushing, eye redness or a rash. As the illness progresses, more serious complications can occur, including low blood pressure, lack of blood flow, internal bleeding and acute kidney failure, which can lead to dangerous fluid overload, the CDC says.

Disease severity varies by virus strain and recovery can take several weeks to months, according to the agency.

The WHO explains that human-to-human transmission of hantaviruses has been documented only with the Andes virus in the Americas. When it occurs, it has been linked to close, prolonged contact, particularly among household members or intimate partners.

Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted to humans through contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents. Activities that bring people into close contact with rodent-contaminated environments-such as cleaning enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces, farming, forestry work or sleeping in infested buildings-can increase the risk of exposure. In less common cases, infection may also occur through rodent bites, the WHO says.

Is There a Vaccine for the Hantavirus?

There is currently no widely available vaccine to prevent hantavirus infection in the United States.

According to the CDC and the WHO, prevention focuses on avoiding contact with rodents and their urine, droppings, or saliva, rather than vaccination, because no approved vaccine exists for the strains that cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas.

Some vaccines have been developed and used in parts of Asia to protect against strains linked to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, but those vaccines are not approved in the U.S. and do not protect against the hantavirus strains most commonly found in North America, health authorities say.

Researchers are continuing to work on potential vaccines, and experimental candidates are in early‑stage development, but experts say any broad rollout remains years away. For now, public health officials emphasize rodent control, safe cleanup of rodent‑infested areas, and early medical care as the primary ways to reduce the risk of severe illness.

How Are Countries Around the World Monitoring Potential Cases?

Health agencies in multiple countries have been tracking potential exposure cases.

France

Reports on Wednesday said a French person who had not boarded the hantavirus-affected vessel was being monitored as a contact case after sharing a flight with an infected passenger.

“A French national has in particular been identified among the passengers on a flight taken by one of the cases before they were hospitalized,” a spokeswoman for France’s health ministry said, according to France 24 and The Daily Mail.

The Netherlands

A Dutch flight attendant was also undergoing hantavirus testing after coming into contact in Johannesburg with a woman who later died from the infection, Newsweek reported previously.

U.S.

Some U.S. states have also begun monitoring for the virus, with health departments in Georgia and Arizona telling the BBC that two Georgia residents and one in Arizona who had been on the cruise were under observation but had not shown any symptoms.

Virginia's Department of Health told Newsweek a Virginia traveler who had been aboard the MV Hondius "is currently in good health, not showing any signs of infection, and is under public health monitoring."

A spokesperson added: "Generally speaking, we believe the risk to the general public to be low."

U.K.

The U.K.'s Health Security Agency said two people who returned to the country having been on board the ship had been advised to self-isolate but were not reporting symptoms as of Wednesday.

Singapore

In Singapore, two residents who were on board the ship were being isolated and tested for the virus at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), CNA reported.

"Their test results are pending. One has a runny nose but is otherwise well, and the other is asymptomatic. The risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low," NCID said, according to the outlet.

How To Treat Sick Patients So Infection Doesn't Spread?

The WHO advises that efforts to manage outbreaks should include detection, investigation, reporting, case management, and infection control, alongside broader public health measures to prevent and control infection.

Early recognition of suspected cases, prompt isolation, and consistent adherence to recommended infection prevention and control measures are described as essential to protect healthcare personnel.

In healthcare settings, the WHO states that standard precautions should be applied to all patients. These include hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and safe handling of blood and body fluids.

When hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome-a condition sometimes caused by hantaviruses-is suspected, patients should be promptly transferred to an emergency department or intensive care unit for close monitoring and supportive management, it says.

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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 10:46 AM.