WHO declares hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius over, ship returns to service

The World Health Organization has announced that the hantavirus outbreak affecting passengers on a cruise ship has ended, nearly three months after the first case was identified.

During the voyage of the MV Hondius, three people died and 13 others were infected after coming into contact with the Andes virus, a rare form of hantavirus. The ship had departed on April 1 from Argentina bound for Cape Verde before the outbreak emerged.

On Thursday, the WHO said that the last person classified as a close contact of a confirmed case had completed quarantine and tested negative.

“Of the confirmed cases hospitalized, eight have recovered and been discharged from hospital, while two, one in South Africa and one in France, remain hospitalized,” the WHO statement said.

According to the data, no new cases linked to the outbreak on the cruise ship have been recorded since May 25.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on platform X:

Despite the outbreak being declared over, the WHO stressed that it would continue working with governments and partners to gain a clearer understanding of both the causes of the outbreak and the virus itself.

The WHO expressed gratitude to the countries involved in managing the situation, including Argentina, Cape Verde, Chile, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Spain was also thanked for supporting the evacuation and repatriation of passengers and crew members in Tenerife.

MV Hondius was authorized to return to service in mid-June.

In an update dated May 30, the Dutch public health agency said that, from a health standpoint, there were no longer any obstacles preventing the ship from resuming service after the completion of final inspections.