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MV Hondius outbreak — verified articles and chronological updates.

[01] Articles

Editorial coverage

[02] Chronology

Verified timeline

▣ Outbreak timeline

  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. Spain authorises Canary Islands docking

    Spanish authorities grant permission for the MV Hondius to dock in the Canary Islands.

  10. 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.

[03] Sources

External coverage