MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak Timeline
A day-by-day record of the 2026 Andes hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, from departure in Ushuaia, Argentina to disembarkation in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
In early April 2026, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus emerged among passengers of the MV Hondius, a Dutch expedition cruise ship sailing north from Argentina. Three passengers have died and eight more have been confirmed or probably infected across at least 14 countries. The ship reached Tenerife on 10 May, where passengers were repatriated under hazmat protocols.
Pre-cruise (November 2025 – March 2026)
A 70-year-old Dutch man and his 69-year-old wife arrive in Argentina ahead of their scheduled MV Hondius cruise. Argentine authorities later trace their movements, finding they crossed the Argentine–Chilean border multiple times in the months before boarding, likely visiting Patagonia, where the Andes virus is endemic in rodent populations.
Voyage and outbreak (April 2026)
The Dutch-flagged expedition ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, leaves Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina for a 33-day northbound voyage to the Netherlands. Approximately 150 passengers and crew are aboard, representing 24 nationalities, including 17 Americans.
A 70-year-old Dutch passenger develops fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, then dies suddenly. The cause of death is not immediately known. At this point the ship is in remote South Atlantic waters between Argentina and Tristan da Cunha.
The MV Hondius reaches the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena. The deceased passenger's body is offloaded for autopsy in Jamestown. Approximately 30 passengers — including six Americans — disembark voluntarily and arrange independent travel home. The dead man's wife disembarks here as well, already showing symptoms.
The Dutch widow is airlifted from Saint Helena to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she dies. South African authorities begin contact tracing involving 62 individuals who came into contact with the couple.
The MV Hondius briefly stops at Ascension Island to medically evacuate a critically ill passenger, then continues northward.
Outbreak identified (May 2026)
A German woman dies aboard the ship. Oceanwide Expeditions formally reports the outbreak to the World Health Organization. WHO would later publish its first Disease Outbreak News (DON599) on 4 May.
The MV Hondius arrives at Praia, capital of Cape Verde, but local health authorities determine the port lacks the facilities to safely evacuate or treat passengers. The ship remains docked for three days while supplies are delivered. No passengers leave the vessel.
The World Health Organization formally publishes its first situation report on the outbreak, citing 5 confirmed infections at the time and characterizing the risk to the general public as low.
Genomic sequencing confirms the pathogen as the Andes virus (ANDV), a New World hantavirus normally found in South America and notable for being one of the few hantaviruses with documented limited person-to-person transmission. After Spanish health authorities approve docking, the MV Hondius departs Praia for Tenerife, Canary Islands, carrying 147 people. Three Dutch nationals — including the ship's doctor — are medically evacuated to the Netherlands.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus addresses the outbreak in a press briefing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies its response at Level 3 — the lowest emergency tier. CDC deploys epidemiologists to the Canary Islands and Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
The ship docks at the Port of Granadilla on Tenerife. Passengers begin disembarking under strict hazmat protocols and are transferred to charter flights for repatriation to their home countries. Sixteen Americans arrive at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — 15 entering the quarantine unit and one PCR-positive patient placed in the biocontainment unit. Two additional Americans are flown to Atlanta for further assessment.
A symptomatic French passenger tests positive overnight with worsening condition; she is isolated at Bichat Hospital in Paris along with eight contacts. One asymptomatic American passenger tests PCR-positive at UNMC, while another shows mild symptoms. The Pathoplexus consortium publishes preliminary genomic sequences on virological.org, showing all five analyzed samples are highly similar — consistent with a single zoonotic spillover event rather than ongoing human-to-human spread.
After all passengers disembark, the MV Hondius departs Tenerife carrying only a skeleton crew and two health workers. The vessel is en route to the Netherlands for chemical deep-cleaning. Spanish authorities will conduct a full epidemiological investigation. State health departments in California, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, and Texas begin monitoring earlier disembarked U.S. passengers.
Current outlook
As of 12 May 2026, the outbreak comprises 11 confirmed and probable cases across at least 14 jurisdictions, with three deaths. Most public health authorities, including WHO and the CDC, continue to classify the risk to the general population as low. The Andes virus is rare and, while uniquely capable of limited person-to-person transmission among close contacts in confined spaces, it has not been observed to establish sustained community spread.
The incubation period for Andes hantavirus ranges from one to eight weeks, meaning additional cases may continue to emerge among exposed passengers and crew through early summer 2026. Argentine and Chilean authorities are continuing to investigate the original source of infection in Patagonia.
This timeline is updated as new information becomes available from WHO, CDC, ECDC, and national health authorities. See the sources page for the complete list of feeds. The live map shows current case distribution.