Hantavirus outbreak on MV Hondius cruise ship: complete timeline
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Timestamp shown in UTC unless otherwise indicated.
May 2026 will go down as the month hantavirus first appeared on a cruise ship. MV Hondius became the center of the most high-profile outbreak of this virus in recorded history.
Three deaths, dozens infected and an international evacuation across twenty countries. Here is how it unfolded, day by day.
Outbreak timeline: key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 1 | MV Hondius departed Ushuaia (Argentina) on a polar expedition. On board: 147 people from 23 countries. |
| April 6-11 | The first passenger (a Dutch national) fell ill and later died. He is considered the index case. |
| April 25 | More than 30 passengers disembarked on Saint Helena, unaware of the virus on board. |
| May 2 | WHO was notified of a cluster of severe respiratory illness on the ship. Two dead, one critically ill. |
| May 4-6 | Andes strain confirmed. Cape Verde denied the ship entry to port. |
| May 8 | WHO confirmed 6 cases and 3 deaths. Twelve countries were warned. |
| May 10 | MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife. Evacuation of 94 passengers of 19 nationalities began. |
| May 11 | Main evacuation completed. First flights to Spain, France, the Netherlands, UK, US and Canada. |
| May 12 | The ship departed for Rotterdam. Total cases rose to 11. |
What happened on board
Investigators believe the infection started before boarding. A Dutch couple visited natural areas in Argentina where they may have had contact with infected rodents.
In the confined space of the ship, the virus began to spread. Some passengers became infected in shared areas including the dining hall and lecture room.
Final outbreak numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Confirmed cases | 9 |
| Probable cases | 2 |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Evacuated | 122 |
| Countries monitoring | 20+ |
| Quarantine period | 42 days |
Why Tenerife became the operation center
Cape Verde refused to let the ship dock. WHO turned to Spain, and Madrid agreed to evacuation in the Canary Islands. WHO chief Tedros personally arrived in Tenerife to coordinate.
Contact geography
| Country | Under monitoring | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 26 pass. + 12 medics | Tests negative |
| USA | 41 (18 in Nebraska/Atlanta) | 0 confirmed |
| France | 5 pass. + 22 contacts | 1 in ICU |
| Spain | 14 | 1 mild case |
| UK | 32 | 6 on home isolation |
| Canada | 10 | Asymptomatic |
| Italy | 4 | All negative |
| Australia | 6 | Repatriated in PPE |
Where the ship is now
MV Hondius is sailing toward Rotterdam with a crew of 25. Arrival expected May 17. The ship will then be disinfected. The operator says cruise resumption will be announced this week.
The investigation continues. WHO warns that more cases may still appear due to the long incubation period.
Sources
- Reuters: cruise ship hantavirus coverage
- AP News: MV Hondius evacuation reports
- CNN: live coverage from Tenerife
- WHO: Andes virus situation reports
- CDC: cdc.gov/hantavirus/situation-summary