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·5 min read#mv-hondius#update#andes-virus

MV Hondius outbreak: 5 things to know on May 7

Death toll, Andes-strain confirmation, Tenerife crossing and May 11 evacuation, Zurich admission, WHO assessment and Argentine rodent surveillance — the May 7 sourced summary.

One month into the MV Hondius outbreak, the picture is sharper. Spanish authorities have cleared the ship to head for Tenerife, lab work has confirmed the suspected pathogen, and contact tracing has reached three continents — and now extends beyond passengers to airline staff. WHO has deployed an expert aboard the ship and shipped 2,500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to five countries. Here are the things you need to know about the situation as of May 8.

▶ MV Hondius outbreak — current figures

live
Confirmed deaths
03
Lab-confirmed cases
07
Suspected cases
03
People on board
147
Nationalities
23

As of May 12, 2026 (WHO) · Figures sourced from WHO situation reports and Oceanwide Expeditions communications.

1. Death toll: 8 cases, 3 deaths aboard the MV Hondius

Per the WHO May 7 briefing, the outbreak count stands at 8 cases — 5 lab-confirmed and 3 still under investigation — with 3 confirmed deaths. The first fatality was a Dutch national who died in early April. His wife disembarked at Saint Helena and died in a South African hospital on April 26. A German national died on board on May 2.

2. Confirmed: it is the Andes strain, capable of human-to-human transmission

On May 6, the authorities confirmed that the strain involved is the Andes virus — a rare variant capable of human-to-human transmission under specific conditions, namely close and prolonged contact. The WHO has classified hantaviruses as priority emerging pathogens with the potential to trigger international health emergencies. Case fatality can reach 40 % in severe HPS presentations.

3. Ship en route to Tenerife — passenger evacuation from May 11

The MV Hondius left Cape Verde on Wednesday for Tenerife, in the Spanish Canary Islands. The Spanish health ministry estimates the crossing at about three and a half days. Passenger evacuation will begin from May 11 from the Canary Islands, according to the Spanish interior ministry.

4. Three medical evacuations, plus a new Swiss case treated in Zurich

Three people were medically evacuated from the ship on Wednesday: two with acute symptoms and a third who had been in contact with a confirmed case. A separate passenger who had already disembarked was admitted to the Zurich University Hospital after developing symptoms, bringing the total to 8 cases.

5. WHO: public risk "low"; Argentina dispatches experts to Ushuaia

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the risk to the general public remains low, noting that human-to-human transmission requires close, prolonged contact. Argentina has announced it is sending experts to Ushuaia — the ship's departure port — to capture and analyse rodents for possible presence of the virus, as part of an enhanced epidemiological surveillance strategy.

The full timeline

▣ Outbreak timeline

  1. Departure from Ushuaia

    MV Hondius leaves Ushuaia, Argentina, with 88 passengers and 59 crew bound for Cape Verde via Antarctica and the South Atlantic.

  2. First fatality in Johannesburg

    A Dutch passenger who had disembarked at Saint Helena dies in Johannesburg. Initially attributed to acute respiratory syndrome of unknown origin.

  3. British passenger evacuated to Johannesburg

    A second seriously ill passenger, a British national, is evacuated to Johannesburg. Reportedly remains in intensive care.

  4. WHO notified of outbreak

    Oceanwide Expeditions notifies authorities of an acute respiratory syndrome cluster aboard the ship. WHO opens an investigation.

  5. WHO confirms three deaths

    WHO situation report cites three deaths and several seriously ill passengers. Hantavirus suspected; Andes strain considered.

  6. Ship anchors off Cape Verde — Pasteur Dakar samples taken

    MV Hondius anchors off Cape Verde awaiting docking authorisation. Specialists from the Institut Pasteur de Dakar collect samples from symptomatic passengers for virological analysis and sequencing in the Senegalese capital.

  7. Andes virus confirmed in Swiss passenger

    A Swiss passenger who had left the ship earlier tests positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, confirming the suspected pathogen. Three other seriously ill passengers are evacuated for medical care.

  8. Parallel case confirmed in Bariloche (Argentina)

    A 45-year-old man is hospitalised in Bariloche (Patagonia, the natural range of the Andes virus reservoir) with confirmed hantavirus, in Intermediate Care. Two close contacts (partner and son) are isolated. Samples are sent to Instituto Malbrán to identify the strain — northern Argentine variants do not transmit between people, unlike the Andes virus circulating in this region. Not directly linked to the MV Hondius cluster, but provides parallel epidemiological context.

  9. Andes strain officially confirmed · WHO statement on low public risk

    Authorities officially confirm the strain involved is the Andes virus, the only hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission under close prolonged contact. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus states the risk to the general public remains low. Hantaviruses remain on WHO's priority emerging-pathogen list; HPS case fatality can reach 40% in severe presentations.

  10. Ship departs Cape Verde for Tenerife · evacuation set for May 11

    Spain authorises the MV Hondius to dock in the Canary Islands. The ship leaves Cape Verde for Tenerife. The Spanish health ministry estimates the crossing at about three and a half days. Passenger evacuation will begin from May 11 according to the Spanish interior ministry.

  11. France identifies a contact case · activates national response

    A French national who shared a flight to Johannesburg with one of the evacuated patients is identified as a contact case. France activates the Direction générale de la santé, Santé publique France, COREB and the Centre national de référence des hantavirus. The foreign affairs ministry and CORRUSS coordinate to prepare the repatriation of French nationals still aboard.

  12. New Swiss case admitted to Zurich University Hospital

    A passenger who had already disembarked is admitted to the Zurich University Hospital after developing symptoms, bringing the total cases to 8. Three other people are medically evacuated from the ship: two with acute symptoms and a third in close contact with a confirmed case.

  13. Argentina dispatches experts to Ushuaia for rodent surveillance

    Argentina announces it is sending experts to Ushuaia — the MV Hondius's departure port — to capture and analyse rodents for "possible presence of the virus", as part of an enhanced epidemiological surveillance strategy. A positive find at the embarkation environment would point to pre-departure exposure.

  14. Flight attendant hospitalised in the Netherlands · contact with Johannesburg patient

    A flight attendant in the Netherlands has been hospitalised with mild symptoms after a documented contact with the Dutch woman who died of hantavirus in Johannesburg on April 26. The case extends contact tracing from passengers to airline staff and is the first documented possible secondary case in Europe linked to the MV Hondius cluster. Source: BNO News, citing RTL.

  15. WHO operational response · expert aboard, 2,500 diagnostic kits

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issues an official briefing. Confirmed figures: 8 cases, 5 lab-confirmed, 3 deaths. WHO has deployed an expert aboard the MV Hondius, arranged shipment of 2,500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to five countries, and is developing operational guidance for safe disembarkation. International coordination via the IHR. Public risk assessment: low.

  16. CDC activates Emergency Operations Center at Level 3

    The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activates its Emergency Operations Center at Level 3 (lowest emergency activation tier) for the MV Hondius outbreak. CDC reassigns epidemiologists, scientists and physicians to a dedicated response team. The agency states: "The risk to the general public remains low, but the situation is being actively monitored." (Source: ABC News.)

  17. URGENT · mutation question raised by online expert commentary

    Independent online commentary (Adam Cochran, @adamscochran) flags the Dutch flight attendant case as potentially significant: the patient was reportedly removed from the flight before departure, meaning the attendant had minimal contact, yet the attendant has developed symptoms within an unusually short window. Andes virus normally requires close prolonged contact and has a longer incubation period. The case raises the question of a possible mutation, though no mutation has been confirmed by any health authority. WHO has not changed its low public-risk assessment.

  18. MV Hondius arrives at Granadilla Port (Tenerife) · hazmat disembarkation

    Expected port arrival around midday at Granadilla Port, Tenerife. Over 100 passengers remaining on board (23 nationalities). Passengers will wear hazmat gear during transfer. ABC News reports up to 12 suspected cases (the WHO 7 May briefing cited 8, including a British national reported on Tristan da Cunha). Reconciliation of figures expected after the on-port medical assessment.

  19. New suspected contact case · WHO mentions further possible cases

    BFMTV reports a new suspected contact case among the passengers who travelled near the Dutch woman who died of hantavirus during her medical-evacuation journey. WHO confirms that further possible cases may emerge as contact tracing extends to fellow travellers and crew. Argentina states that the origin of the contagion is impossible to confirm at this stage; rodent surveillance in Ushuaia continues.

  20. WHO Disease Outbreak News · 6 lab-confirmed · 75 contacts in South Africa

    WHO publishes a detailed Disease Outbreak News update. Total reported: 8 cases (3 deaths). Andes virus is now lab-confirmed in 6 cases (up from 5). 4 patients currently hospitalised. One previously-suspected case is reclassified as a non-case after negative PCR and serology. An adult male who disembarked at Tristan da Cunha on 14 April is stable, in isolation, and classified as a probable case until lab confirmation. 75 contacts have been identified in South Africa, of whom 42 are being actively traced and monitored. WHO + ECDC experts are now on board to support the operation. WHO advises against routine testing or quarantine of asymptomatic contacts.

  21. Ship docks at Granadilla · evacuation begins · 94 passengers off Day 1

    The MV Hondius docks at Granadilla Port, Tenerife, on Sunday 10 May. Disembarkation begins in order of homeward-bound flight departure times — Spanish nationals first. The first evacuation flight takes off at 13:31 local time. By late evening, 7 evacuation flights have departed transporting 94 passengers (19 nationalities) to six European countries and Canada. Travellers escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. Operation led by Spanish authorities and the WHO.

  22. All 122 individuals evacuated · 16 Americans to Nebraska, 2 to Atlanta

    Evacuation completes: 122 individuals repatriated (87 passengers + 35 crew). 16 American passengers arrive at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — 15 admitted to the quarantine unit, 1 to the biocontainment unit. 2 additional American passengers flown to Atlanta for further assessment and care. Two new positives detected post-evacuation: one French passenger, one US passenger. Total confirmed and probable cases rise to 10. Some crew stay aboard to sail the ship to Rotterdam for full disinfection.

  23. WHO Tedros: "This is not another COVID"

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a UN News statement, emphasises that the risk to the wider public remains low, stating "This is not another COVID" and "the risk to the public is low". The operation is now in post-evacuation surveillance phase, with national health authorities of repatriating countries (France, Netherlands, Germany, UK, US, Canada and others) handling contact tracing and isolation of confirmed and probable cases.

What to watch next

  1. The arrival in Tenerife, expected around May 10, and the on-the-ground reception protocol.
  2. The Pasteur Dakar sequencing on samples collected May 4: confirmation that the cluster is genetically Andes virus would tighten the case for partial onboard transmission.
  3. The Argentine rodent surveillance in Ushuaia: a positive find in the embarkation environment would point strongly to pre-departure exposure.
  4. The British and Swiss patients' outcomes, which will move the overall case-fatality rate and the public-perception arithmetic.

The situation continues to evolve. Every figure on this site links back to a public source. We update as soon as the WHO, the Spanish health authorities, the Pasteur Institute or major international media publish new information.

▣ Sources

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MV Hondius outbreak: 5 things to know on May 7 · Hantavirus Live