According to a report from the Daily Mail, a severe respiratory illness outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has claimed three lives and left a British national fighting for survival in intensive care.
The polar expedition vessel, operated by Dutch-based Oceanwide Expeditions, was en route from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde when the cases emerged.
The World Health Organization confirmed the incident on Sunday, noting one laboratory-verified hantavirus infection—a rodent-borne virus capable of causing hemorrhagic fever—among six suspected cases. Three passengers have now died, with authorities coordinating an international response.
A 70-year-old man became the first fatality onboard, his body taken to the British territory of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. His 69-year-old wife later fell ill and was evacuated to South Africa, where she succumbed in a Johannesburg hospital. A 69-year-old British man was also airlifted to the same facility and remains in intensive care.
“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases,” a WHO spokesman said. “Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.”
Hantaviruses typically spread through contact with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva and are not usually transmitted person-to-person. Symptoms can include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headaches, and in severe cases, lead to pulmonary or renal complications.
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