active hantavirus · Andes virus Dataset
MV Hondius Hantavirus Cluster 2026 — Outbreak Dataset
Cluster of Andes hantavirus infections aboard the Dutch expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina on 1 April 2026 carrying 197 international passengers. WHO, CDC and ECDC are coordinating the international response; the ship has since departed the Canary Islands en route to the Netherlands. Contact tracing remains active across additional countries. Live case, death and country counts are shown above and refresh hourly from D1.
Last updated: Jun 17, 2026 · → Live tracker with real-time updates
Case Summary
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Confirmed cases | 7 |
| Suspected cases | 3 |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Case fatality rate | 30% |
| Countries with confirmed cases | 7 |
| Countries with active contact tracing | 5 |
| Outbreak start | Apr 6, 2026 |
| Virus (strain) | Andes virus (ANDV) — Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome |
Geographic Coverage
Countries with Confirmed Cases
- Netherlands
- Germany
- Switzerland
- South Africa
- Saint Helena
- France
- United States
Countries with Active Contact Tracing
- Singapore
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Spain
- Australia
Hospitalization Locations
- Cape Town (ZA)
- Amsterdam (NL)
- Berlin (DE)
- Saint Helena (SH)
- Zurich (CH)
- Paris (FR)
- Omaha NE (US)
WHO / CDC Timeline
Chronological order · Sources: WHO DON599, CDC, ECDC, NPR · Live updates →
- Nov 27, 2025Index case begins 4-month South America trip
Argentine ministry of health later traces the patient zero through Chile, Uruguay, and northern Argentina between Nov 2025 and Apr 2026.
Source → - Apr 1, 2026MV Hondius departs Ushuaia
The Dutch expedition cruise ship leaves Ushuaia, Argentina with 197 passengers and crew aboard, bound for a transatlantic itinerary.
Source → - Apr 6, 2026First passenger develops symptoms
Initial symptoms noted but not identified as hantavirus at the time — clinical presentation overlapped with other viruses.
Source → - Apr 11, 2026First death aboard
Dutch passenger dies five days after symptom onset. No samples taken at the time; hantavirus identified retroactively.
Source → - Apr 24, 202630 passengers disembark at Saint Helena
Health officials begin global tracing operation as 30 individuals leave the ship at the remote South Atlantic island.
Source → - May 4, 2026WHO opens Disease Outbreak News file (DON599)
First WHO statement on multi-country hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel.
Source → - May 5, 2026Polymarket 'Hantavirus pandemic 2026' peaks at 38%
Prediction market spikes briefly amid alarm reports; total volume on the question crosses $1.3M.
Source → - May 7, 2026WHO confirms 5 cases, 'not the next COVID'
Director-General Tedros: outbreak not start of an epidemic or pandemic. WHO ships 2,500 diagnostic kits to 5 countries and deploys an expert aboard the ship.
Source →
Key Epidemiological Facts
- Index case traveled overland for 4 months across Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay between Nov 2025 and Apr 2026.
- Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain with documented person-to-person transmission, but only via close prolonged contact.
- WHO assesses global risk as 'low' as of 7 May 2026.
- ECDC assesses risk for general European population as 'very low'.
- Passengers from 23 different countries were aboard; 17 Americans were among those still on the ship.
- Mortality rate for Andes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome historically 30-40%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the MV Hondius cruise ship now? ⌄
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina on 1 April 2026 with 197 passengers from 23 countries. The voyage proceeded with WHO and an embedded medical expert overseeing on-board assessment after the initial cases emerged. Disembarkation phases included 30 passengers at Saint Helena on 24 April, individual medical evacuations to South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, and final disembarkation in the Canary Islands (Spain). The ship has since departed the Canaries en route to Rotterdam for deep cleaning and disinfection. The live MV Hondius timeline page on this site is updated whenever WHO/CDC/ECDC publish new statements.
Category: general
Open page → Which countries have been affected by the MV Hondius hantavirus cluster? ⌄
The MV Hondius hantavirus cluster (Andes virus, 2026) spans multiple countries across four continents. Countries with confirmed or suspected patients receiving treatment: Netherlands (two confirmed deaths; ship is Dutch-flagged), Germany (patient transferred by medical evacuation), Switzerland (patient hospitalized), South Africa (patient transferred by medical evacuation), and Saint Helena (30 passengers disembarked 24 April 2026). Countries with active contact-tracing operations for passengers or crew who traveled onward: United States (17 American nationals were aboard), United Kingdom, France, Spain (final port call scheduled Las Palmas, Canary Islands, approximately 11 May 2026), Canada, Singapore. Countries involved in the index case's pre-embarkation travel (Andes virus exposure corridor): Argentina (Ushuaia departure port; index case traveled through southern Argentina for four months), Chile, Uruguay. WHO Disease Outbreak News DON599 covers 23 nationalities aboard. ECDC rates the risk to EU/EEA general public as 'very low'.
Category: geography
Open page → What should MV Hondius passengers and crew do now? ⌄
WHO and ECDC issued specific guidance for the approximately 197 passengers and crew aboard MV Hondius following the Andes hantavirus cluster. Recommended actions: (1) Self-monitor daily for fever (>38°C / 100.4°F), severe muscle aches in the thighs, hips, or back, fatigue, or any breathing difficulty for 8 weeks from last potential exposure aboard the ship. (2) If symptoms develop, call emergency services immediately and inform them of your travel on MV Hondius — do not self-drive to an emergency room. Provide the ship's name, dates aboard, and cabin number to the receiving healthcare team. (3) Passengers who disembarked at Saint Helena on 24 April 2026 should have already been contacted by local health authorities; if not, contact your national health authority directly. (4) Normal daily activities including work may continue while asymptomatic — Andes virus is NOT spread through casual contact, shared office air, or public transport. (5) Defer blood donation until 8 weeks after disembarkation. WHO distributed diagnostic kits to all countries known to host former passengers or crew, covering 23 nationalities. Your national traveler health hotline can provide country-specific guidance.
Category: prevention
Open page → What is the complete timeline of the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak? ⌄
The MV Hondius 2026 Andes hantavirus outbreak unfolded over six months across four continents. November 2025–April 2026: Patient Zero travels overland for four months through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay — the endemic zone for Andes virus — before boarding. April 1, 2026: MV Hondius departs Ushuaia, Argentina with 197 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities. April 6: First passenger develops symptoms; hantavirus not yet suspected. April 11: First fatality — a Dutch passenger dies five days after symptom onset; hantavirus identified retroactively from preserved samples. April 24: 30 passengers disembark at Saint Helena (remote South Atlantic island), triggering a global contact tracing operation across six additional countries. May 4: WHO opens Disease Outbreak News DON599 — the first international alert — confirming a multi-country hantavirus cluster. May 5: Polymarket's 'Hantavirus pandemic 2026' market peaks at 38% probability, with $1.3 million in trading volume. May 7: WHO Director-General states the outbreak is 'not the next COVID'; 5 confirmed cases, 2 deaths confirmed; 2,500 diagnostic kits dispatched to five countries. May 11: MV Hondius arrives Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) for final disembarkation of remaining 146 passengers. June 2026: Active contact tracing continues in multiple countries within the 8-week incubation window; total confirmed deaths: 3.
Category: general
Open page → How many hantavirus cases are there in 2026? ⌄
Live counts for the MV Hondius cluster (confirmed cases, suspected cases, deaths, affected countries) are shown on the homepage and refresh hourly from D1. The cluster is unusual not for raw case count but for its multi-country footprint via cruise ship travel — passengers from over 20 nationalities disembarked in multiple ports, requiring international contact tracing. Beyond the Hondius cluster, sporadic background hantavirus cases occur annually in endemic regions: typically 20-40 cases/year in the USA (Sin Nombre), 100-200 in Argentina (Andes), several thousand HFRS cases across Eurasia (Puumala, Hantaan, Seoul).
Category: general
Open page → What is the current real-time status of the hantavirus outbreak? ⌄
The MV Hondius cluster is the active hantavirus outbreak as of 2026. Live counts (confirmed cases, suspected cases, deaths, affected countries, and people under contact tracing) are shown on the homepage KPI bar and refresh hourly from D1. Patients are hospitalized in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, and Saint Helena; contact tracing remains active in the United States, Singapore, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and Spain. WHO, CDC, ECDC, PAHO, and Africa CDC have each issued situational updates. Prediction markets on Polymarket are tracking the probability of WHO declaring a pandemic in 2026 and additional country-specific case confirmations — see the Markets section for live odds. All numbers update hourly from 50+ sources; this FAQ deliberately avoids hardcoded figures so it never goes stale.
Category: general
Open page → What is the Andes virus? ⌄
The Andes virus (ANDV) is a hantavirus species endemic to southern South America, particularly Argentina, Chile, and parts of Uruguay and Bolivia. It is named after the Andes mountain range, where the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus) — its primary natural reservoir — is widely distributed. ANDV causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) with a case fatality rate of 30-40% and is unique among hantaviruses in being capable of limited person-to-person transmission, demonstrated in clusters dating back to a 1996 outbreak in El Bolsón, Argentina. The MV Hondius cluster involves the Andes virus, with the index case having traveled extensively in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay between November 2025 and April 2026.
Category: general
Open page → What is the mortality rate of hantavirus? ⌄
Mortality varies sharply by virus species. Andes virus and Sin Nombre virus, which cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), have a historical case fatality rate (CFR) of 30-40%. The Eurasian variants causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) — Puumala, Hantaan, Seoul — have lower CFR: Puumala 0.1-1%, Seoul ~1-2%, Hantaan 5-15%. The MV Hondius cluster involves Andes virus, the most lethal strain. The current CFR for this cluster is shown on the homepage Deaths KPI (deaths divided by confirmed cases) and updates hourly as new data is reported. There is no specific antiviral treatment; supportive intensive care (oxygen, ventilation, ECMO) is the standard of care and improves outcomes when initiated early.
Category: severity
Open page → Official Sources
- WHO Disease Outbreak News (DON599)
- WHO Statement (7 May 2026)
- ECDC Assessment
- Africa CDC Statement
- Wikipedia — MV Hondius outbreak
Dataset compiled by OutbreakWatch from official sources. View live tracker →