الانتقال إلى المحتوى الرئيسي
Hantavirus Live
الأخبار
·6 د قراءة#mv-hondius#update#evacuation#who

MV Hondius outbreak: where we stand on May 12 — passengers home, ship to Rotterdam

122 individuals evacuated from Granadilla, 10 confirmed-and-probable cases, 16 Americans transferred to Nebraska biocontainment, ship sailing to Rotterdam for disinfection, and WHO Tedros: "this is not another COVID".

ⓘ المقال متاح بالإنجليزية فقط — الترجمة قادمة قريباً.

Six weeks after the MV Hondius left Ushuaia, the active phase of the outbreak is over. On 10 and 11 May the ship was emptied of its passengers and most of its crew at Granadilla Port, Tenerife. Seven evacuation flights took off on the first day alone. Here is where the numbers stand and what happens next.

▶ MV Hondius — الأرقام الحالية

مباشر
وفيات مؤكدة
03
حالات مؤكدة مخبرياً
07
حالات مشتبه بها
03
الأشخاص على متن السفينة
147
الجنسيات
23

حتى ١٢ مايو ٢٠٢٦ (WHO) · الأرقام مأخوذة من تقارير WHO ومراسلات Oceanwide Expeditions.

1. Final disembarkation tally: 122 evacuated

According to tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions, a total of 122 individuals were repatriated to their home countries: 87 guests and 35 crew members. Travellers represented 19 nationalities. On the first day of operations alone, seven evacuation flights took 94 passengers to six European countries plus Canada. Spanish nationals disembarked first; the very first flight took off at 13:31 local time on 10 May.

Travellers were escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. The operation was coordinated by Spanish authorities and the WHO.

2. The case count: 10 confirmed and probable

As of 11 May the total of confirmed and probable cases has risen to 10: 7 laboratory-confirmed Andes-virus cases and 3 probable cases under investigation. Two deaths are confirmed; one death remains under investigation. Two new positives were detected after evacuation: one French passenger who developed symptoms during the flight home, and one American passenger.

3. United States response: Nebraska and Atlanta

On Monday 16 American passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — one of the very few facilities in the country with a purpose-built biocontainment unit. Fifteen Americans were admitted to the quarantine unit; one was placed in the biocontainment unit. Two more American passengers were flown to Atlanta for further assessment and care, near the CDC headquarters.

HHS confirmed publicly that one American has tested positive and one further American is symptomatic and under monitoring.

4. The ship now sails to Rotterdam

With passengers off and most crew rotated out, the MV Hondius departs Tenerife with a skeleton crew bound for the operator's home port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. There, the vessel will undergo a full disinfection — particular attention to food storage, crew quarters, and cargo holds, the spaces most likely to harbour dried rodent excreta.

Oceanwide Expeditions has not yet commented publicly on whether subsequent voyages will run on schedule. Industry watchers expect new pre-departure rodent-inspection protocols across the expedition-cruise segment.

5. WHO: “This is not another COVID”

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking to UN News, was unambiguous: the risk to the broader public is low. The Andes virus, while severe (case fatality 25–40 % in confirmed HPS), is not airborne in the way SARS-CoV-2 or influenza are. Person-to-person transmission requires close, prolonged contact and has historically been confined to household members, sexual partners and healthcare workers caring for sick patients without adequate PPE.

That assessment shapes the surveillance phase that follows. National health authorities are tracking and isolating confirmed and probable cases. There is no recommendation for routine testing or quarantine of asymptomatic contacts of contacts.

The full timeline

▣ الجدول الزمني

  1. Departure from Ushuaia

    MV Hondius leaves Ushuaia, Argentina, with 88 passengers and 59 crew bound for Cape Verde via Antarctica and the South Atlantic.

  2. First fatality in Johannesburg

    A Dutch passenger who had disembarked at Saint Helena dies in Johannesburg. Initially attributed to acute respiratory syndrome of unknown origin.

  3. British passenger evacuated to Johannesburg

    A second seriously ill passenger, a British national, is evacuated to Johannesburg. Reportedly remains in intensive care.

  4. WHO notified of outbreak

    Oceanwide Expeditions notifies authorities of an acute respiratory syndrome cluster aboard the ship. WHO opens an investigation.

  5. WHO confirms three deaths

    WHO situation report cites three deaths and several seriously ill passengers. Hantavirus suspected; Andes strain considered.

  6. Ship anchors off Cape Verde — Pasteur Dakar samples taken

    MV Hondius anchors off Cape Verde awaiting docking authorisation. Specialists from the Institut Pasteur de Dakar collect samples from symptomatic passengers for virological analysis and sequencing in the Senegalese capital.

  7. Andes virus confirmed in Swiss passenger

    A Swiss passenger who had left the ship earlier tests positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, confirming the suspected pathogen. Three other seriously ill passengers are evacuated for medical care.

  8. Parallel case confirmed in Bariloche (Argentina)

    A 45-year-old man is hospitalised in Bariloche (Patagonia, the natural range of the Andes virus reservoir) with confirmed hantavirus, in Intermediate Care. Two close contacts (partner and son) are isolated. Samples are sent to Instituto Malbrán to identify the strain — northern Argentine variants do not transmit between people, unlike the Andes virus circulating in this region. Not directly linked to the MV Hondius cluster, but provides parallel epidemiological context.

  9. Andes strain officially confirmed · WHO statement on low public risk

    Authorities officially confirm the strain involved is the Andes virus, the only hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission under close prolonged contact. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus states the risk to the general public remains low. Hantaviruses remain on WHO's priority emerging-pathogen list; HPS case fatality can reach 40% in severe presentations.

  10. Ship departs Cape Verde for Tenerife · evacuation set for May 11

    Spain authorises the MV Hondius to dock in the Canary Islands. The ship leaves Cape Verde for Tenerife. The Spanish health ministry estimates the crossing at about three and a half days. Passenger evacuation will begin from May 11 according to the Spanish interior ministry.

  11. France identifies a contact case · activates national response

    A French national who shared a flight to Johannesburg with one of the evacuated patients is identified as a contact case. France activates the Direction générale de la santé, Santé publique France, COREB and the Centre national de référence des hantavirus. The foreign affairs ministry and CORRUSS coordinate to prepare the repatriation of French nationals still aboard.

  12. New Swiss case admitted to Zurich University Hospital

    A passenger who had already disembarked is admitted to the Zurich University Hospital after developing symptoms, bringing the total cases to 8. Three other people are medically evacuated from the ship: two with acute symptoms and a third in close contact with a confirmed case.

  13. Argentina dispatches experts to Ushuaia for rodent surveillance

    Argentina announces it is sending experts to Ushuaia — the MV Hondius's departure port — to capture and analyse rodents for "possible presence of the virus", as part of an enhanced epidemiological surveillance strategy. A positive find at the embarkation environment would point to pre-departure exposure.

  14. Flight attendant hospitalised in the Netherlands · contact with Johannesburg patient

    A flight attendant in the Netherlands has been hospitalised with mild symptoms after a documented contact with the Dutch woman who died of hantavirus in Johannesburg on April 26. The case extends contact tracing from passengers to airline staff and is the first documented possible secondary case in Europe linked to the MV Hondius cluster. Source: BNO News, citing RTL.

  15. WHO operational response · expert aboard, 2,500 diagnostic kits

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issues an official briefing. Confirmed figures: 8 cases, 5 lab-confirmed, 3 deaths. WHO has deployed an expert aboard the MV Hondius, arranged shipment of 2,500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to five countries, and is developing operational guidance for safe disembarkation. International coordination via the IHR. Public risk assessment: low.

  16. CDC activates Emergency Operations Center at Level 3

    The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activates its Emergency Operations Center at Level 3 (lowest emergency activation tier) for the MV Hondius outbreak. CDC reassigns epidemiologists, scientists and physicians to a dedicated response team. The agency states: "The risk to the general public remains low, but the situation is being actively monitored." (Source: ABC News.)

  17. URGENT · mutation question raised by online expert commentary

    Independent online commentary (Adam Cochran, @adamscochran) flags the Dutch flight attendant case as potentially significant: the patient was reportedly removed from the flight before departure, meaning the attendant had minimal contact, yet the attendant has developed symptoms within an unusually short window. Andes virus normally requires close prolonged contact and has a longer incubation period. The case raises the question of a possible mutation, though no mutation has been confirmed by any health authority. WHO has not changed its low public-risk assessment.

  18. MV Hondius arrives at Granadilla Port (Tenerife) · hazmat disembarkation

    Expected port arrival around midday at Granadilla Port, Tenerife. Over 100 passengers remaining on board (23 nationalities). Passengers will wear hazmat gear during transfer. ABC News reports up to 12 suspected cases (the WHO 7 May briefing cited 8, including a British national reported on Tristan da Cunha). Reconciliation of figures expected after the on-port medical assessment.

  19. New suspected contact case · WHO mentions further possible cases

    BFMTV reports a new suspected contact case among the passengers who travelled near the Dutch woman who died of hantavirus during her medical-evacuation journey. WHO confirms that further possible cases may emerge as contact tracing extends to fellow travellers and crew. Argentina states that the origin of the contagion is impossible to confirm at this stage; rodent surveillance in Ushuaia continues.

  20. WHO Disease Outbreak News · 6 lab-confirmed · 75 contacts in South Africa

    WHO publishes a detailed Disease Outbreak News update. Total reported: 8 cases (3 deaths). Andes virus is now lab-confirmed in 6 cases (up from 5). 4 patients currently hospitalised. One previously-suspected case is reclassified as a non-case after negative PCR and serology. An adult male who disembarked at Tristan da Cunha on 14 April is stable, in isolation, and classified as a probable case until lab confirmation. 75 contacts have been identified in South Africa, of whom 42 are being actively traced and monitored. WHO + ECDC experts are now on board to support the operation. WHO advises against routine testing or quarantine of asymptomatic contacts.

  21. Ship docks at Granadilla · evacuation begins · 94 passengers off Day 1

    The MV Hondius docks at Granadilla Port, Tenerife, on Sunday 10 May. Disembarkation begins in order of homeward-bound flight departure times — Spanish nationals first. The first evacuation flight takes off at 13:31 local time. By late evening, 7 evacuation flights have departed transporting 94 passengers (19 nationalities) to six European countries and Canada. Travellers escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. Operation led by Spanish authorities and the WHO.

  22. All 122 individuals evacuated · 16 Americans to Nebraska, 2 to Atlanta

    Evacuation completes: 122 individuals repatriated (87 passengers + 35 crew). 16 American passengers arrive at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — 15 admitted to the quarantine unit, 1 to the biocontainment unit. 2 additional American passengers flown to Atlanta for further assessment and care. Two new positives detected post-evacuation: one French passenger, one US passenger. Total confirmed and probable cases rise to 10. Some crew stay aboard to sail the ship to Rotterdam for full disinfection.

  23. WHO Tedros: "This is not another COVID"

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a UN News statement, emphasises that the risk to the wider public remains low, stating "This is not another COVID" and "the risk to the public is low". The operation is now in post-evacuation surveillance phase, with national health authorities of repatriating countries (France, Netherlands, Germany, UK, US, Canada and others) handling contact tracing and isolation of confirmed and probable cases.

What still matters

  1. Sequencing results from Pasteur Dakar. Samples collected on 4 May will tell us whether the cluster is one viral lineage (suggesting onboard transmission) or genetically heterogeneous (suggesting independent rodent exposures pre-departure).
  2. Argentine rodent surveillance in Ushuaia. If positive rodents are found at the embarkation port, the case for pre-departure exposure becomes stronger.
  3. Outcomes for the hospitalised. The Nebraska, Atlanta, French and Swiss patients' recoveries will shift the final case-fatality count.
  4. The mutation question. The Dutch flight attendant case (minimal contact, symptoms within an unusually short window) remains unexplained. WHO has not flagged a mutation, but the case is on the watchlist.
  5. Industry standards. Whether IMO or WHO updates the Ship Sanitation Certificate framework to require rodent-control checks for expedition vessels will define how the next outbreak (or the prevention of it) is shaped.

We will continue to update this site as Pasteur Dakar publishes sequencing data and national authorities report on the surveillance phase.

▣ المصادر

▣ احصل على تنبيهات التفشي

احصل على تنبيهات التفشي

نرسل بريداً إلكترونياً عند تحديث WHO للأرقام. لا رسائل مزعجة.

// أوافق على تلقي رسائل التحديث. يمكنني إلغاء الاشتراك في أي وقت.