How a Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak Unfolded on a Cruise Ship for Weeks Before It Was Identified

The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 4, 2026. AP Photo/Arilson AlmeidaCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP)—A deadly outbreak of the rare hantavirus unfolded over the course of weeks on a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean, stopping at or near remote islands on the way as passengers and crew members fell sick, according to information from the cruise operator, the World Health Organization and ship tracking data.It shows nearly a month passed between when an elderly Dutch man fell sick and died in the South Atlantic and laboratory tests in South Africa—more than 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles) away—confirmed hantavirus infections.