The Foreign Office has warned British travellers that hantavirus is now a health concern in Argentina and it has added the virus to its travel advice for people heading to the nation in South America.
It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there are now five confirmed cases in the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise, which took on board 114 guests in Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said eight cases of the virus have been reported, with five confirmed and three suspected.
Although none of the passengers or crew currently on board are symptomatic, Dr Ghebreyesus warned more cases may be identified given the incubation period of the virus, which can be up to six weeks, but said the public health risk is low.
Additionally, four British nationals remain in overseas territory St Helena after disembarking the cruise on the tiny island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Seven British people got off the vessel there last month, before the hantavirus outbreak was announced, and two have returned to the UK to isolate, while the seventh individual has also been contacted and is not currently in the UK.
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Key Points
- ‘No idea how long I’ll be in hospital’, British hantavirus patient says
- Two people told to self-isolate in the UK after returning from cruise
- Risk to UK public remains very low, health authorities emphasise
- 'Traumatic few days' for British crew member evacuated from cruise ship, says wife
- MV Hondius heading to Canary Islands after three people suspected of hantavirus infections evacuated
- Passengers may have to isolate for up to 45 days
Watch: WHO reacts to fears of a COVID-style hantavirus pandemic
21:30 , Dan Haygarth'This is not covid'
21:21 , Dan HaygarthThe WHO repeated that the risk to the general public was "low" even if the Andean strain of the virus, found in several victims, can in rare cases be transmitted among humans.
"This is not coronavirus, this is a very different virus," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic management, told a press conference.
"This is not the same situation we were in six years ago."
The WHO said it was working on step-by-step guidance for when the dozens of passengers remaining on the ship, which is sailing to the Canary Islands, arrives there on Saturday or Sunday and the passengers disembark and travel home.
None of these passengers currently have any symptoms.
Argentine government’s hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus while birdwatching
20:42 , Dan HaygarthThe Associated Press reported the Argentine government’s hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a birdwatching outing in the city of Ushuaia before boarding.
Two Argentine officials told the news agency that the couple visited a landfill during the birdwatching tour where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.
Argentine investigators tasked with analysing rodents at the landfill site to see if they carry the Andes strain of the hantavirus, that has been identified in the outbreak on the cruise ship, are yet to leave for Ushuaia, but plan to travel there “in the coming days”, AP reported.
Passengers were confined to their cabins while “disinfection and other public health measures are carried out”, the WHO said on Tuesday.
Risk to public is low but there could be more cases, WHO says
20:15 , Dan HaygarthWhile the risk to the public is low, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said there could be more cases due to the incubation period of the Andes virus – the variant of hantavirus linked to the outbreak.
“Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported,” he said.
“While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.”
He added: “I would also like to thank the ship’s operator for its co-operation, and the passengers and crew who are going through a very difficult and frightening situation.
“I’ve been in touch with the ship’s captain regularly, including this morning. He told me morale has improved significantly since the ship started moving again.”
The WHO is not expecting the outbreak to be an epidemic, according to Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, director at the alert and response co-ordination department.
He highlighted a similar outbreak in Argentina in 2018/19 which led to 34 cases.
'Higher risk contacts' in St Helena told to isolate for 45 days
20:07 , Dan HaygarthAuthorities in St Helena, the remote, volcanic British territory in the South Atlantic where passengers got off, said they were monitoring a small number of people who were considered "higher risk contacts."
Those higher risk contacts were being told to isolate for 45 days, the St. Helena government said.
Watch: WHO warn six week incubation period could mean further hantavirus cases reported
19:45 , Dan HaygarthWatch; Spanish officials give hantavirus update as ship set to dock in days
19:30 , Dan HaygarthRecap: ‘Good news’ on Britons in hospital after cruise ship hantavirus outbreak – WHO
19:15 , Dan HaygarthTwo Britons who were medically evacuated from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship are improving, global health officials have said.
A British passenger, understood to be a 69-year-old man, was taken to South Africa on April 27 and is receiving care at a private health facility in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Another Briton, Martin Anstee, 56, was taken off the MV Hondius on Wednesday and flown to the Netherlands to receive specialist medical care.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, from the World Health Organisation (WHO), said two patients – known to include a Briton – remain in hospital in the Netherlands, and another Briton is in intensive care in South Africa.
She told a WHO press briefing: “I am very happy to say the patient in South Africa is doing better, and the two patients in the Netherlands we hear are stable. So that is actually very good news.”
South Africa is tracing contacts from an April 25 flight
19:00 , Dan HaygarthThe Dutch health ministry said Thursday that a flight attendant on a plane briefly boarded by an infected cruise passenger in South Africa was showing symptoms of hantavirus and would be tested in an isolation ward at a hospital in Amsterdam.
The cruise passenger, also a Dutch woman, was too ill to fly and was taken off the plane in Johannesburg, where she died.
If the woman tests positive, she could be the first known person not on the MV Hondius to become infected in the outbreak.
The vessel is now sailing to Spain's Canary Islands, where it is expected to arrive on Saturday or Sunday, with more than 140 passengers and crew members still on board.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday that he had been in regular touch with the ship's captain, and that morale improved once it began moving again.
Authorities in South Africa are also trying to trace contacts of any passengers who previously got off the ship.
They have focused mainly on an 25 April flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg, the day after passengers disembarked there.
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
18:45 , Dan Haygarth
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
Experts will stay on board until Canary Islands
18:15 , Dan HaygarthDr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said that experts from WHO and the European Centre for Disease Control joined the MV Hondius in Cape Verde and will stay aboard until it reaches the Canary Islands.
He also told a press briefing that morale has improved on board since the ship left Cape Verde.
“I would also like to thank the ship’s operator for its co-operation, and the passengers and crew who are going through a very difficult and frightening situation,” he said.
“I’ve been in touch with the ship’s captain regularly, including this morning.
“He told me morale has improved significantly since the ship started moving again.”
Hantavirus added as a health concern on Foreign Office's Argentina page
17:50 , Dan HaygarthIt links to Travel Health Pro, which says: “Between 1 January and 28 March 2026, 32 confirmed cases of hantavirus infection and eight deaths have been reported.
“Cases have been reported in the following provinces: Buenos Aires, Salta, Chubut, Río Negro, Entre Ríos and Jujuy.”
On 1 April, 114 guests boarded MV Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Patients 'doing better' and 'stable'
17:45 , Daniel HaygarthDr Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the department of epidemic and pandemic threat management at the World Health Organisation (WHO) described how two patients – known to include a Briton – remain in hospital in the Netherlands, while a Briton is in intensive care in South Africa.
She told a WHO press briefing earlier today: “And I am very happy to say the patient in South Africa is doing better, and the two patients in the Netherlands we hear are stable. So that is actually very good news.”
Four British cruise passengers still on St Helena after disembarking cruise
17:45 , Dan HaygarthFour British nationals remain in British overseas territory St Helena after disembarking the MV Hondius cruise at the tiny island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Seven British people got off the vessel there last month, before the hantavirus outbreak was announced, and two have returned to the UK to isolate.
Four remain, where their contact is being managed, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have contacted the seventh person, who is not in the UK
A UKHSA spokesperson told The Independent: “We are aware of seven British Nationals who disembarked the ship at St Helena on 24 April.
“Two of these individuals are now self-isolating in the UK while the others have not yet returned.
“Four of these individuals remain in St Helena and we are in touch with the relevant health officials to provide advice on contact management.
“The seventh individual has also been contacted and is not currently in the UK.”
On Wednesday, the UKHSA said the remaining British nationals on board can now be repatriated once the ship docks at its next destination if they do not develop symptoms. None of the British citizens onboard are currently reporting symptoms but they are being closely monitored.
WHO working with all of the countries who have passengers on board
17:15 , Dan HaygarthThe World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with all of the countries who have passengers on board the MV Hondius on plans for their passage home.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the department of epidemic and pandemic threat management at the WHO, said: “We are working with all of the countries who have nationalities that are on board to discuss the plans for the safe journey of those patients home, once they disembark, once they’re medically evaluated, what those decisions will be.
“It needs to be very carefully done, but we are working with the countries about that onward passage home.”
She said the WHO is also working with the ship’s operator on plans for its crew.
“We also have crew from many different countries, and everyone involved, all of the governments, the ship’s operators, want to make sure that they get home safely, not only minimising their own risk, but any risk to others,” Dr Van Kerkhove said.
Recap: Five cases confirmed
17:01 , Daniel HaygarthFive of the eight suspected cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have now been confirmed, the World Health Organization said at a press briefing earlier on Thursday.
The wider public health threat from the outbreak remained low, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that the WHO was aware of reports of other patients and there may be more cases due to the long incubation period of the virus.
'They will be completely isolated from the public'
16:54 , Dan HaygarthSpain's head of civil protection Virginia Barcones says people evacuated from the boat will be “completely isolated from public.”
She has told a press conference: "From the moment when we see that asymptomatic people are ready to be evacuated from our country, there will be a quick process.
"They will not leave the boat until the plane is there to take them to their countries. Once they leave the boat, they will be taken by road, it's about a 10-minute drive."
She adds: "Mechanisms are being put together, but they will be completely isolated from the public.
"They will be taken to an isolated fenced off place, they will be in isolated vehicles, they will reach an area of the airport that will be completely isolated.
"There is no possibility of contact."
Ship to be inspected when it arrives in Canary Islands
16:51 , Dan HaygarthPedro Gullon, general director of public health and equity in Spain, has just told a press conference that the ship will be inspected when it arrives in the Canary Islands.
He said: "Then we are in touch with doctors on board so we get a daily update on everything that's happening on the boat.
"Once we know what's going on, if there are no new cases, we can proceed to take people to their place of origin."
Two test negative as Dutch authorities probe possible hantavirus exposure on plane
16:48 , Dan HaygarthThe Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said on Thursday it had tested three people showing symptoms for the Andes strain of hantavirus, Reuters reports.
Two tested negative, while the third result was still being analysed.
RIVM said all three developed symptoms after coming into contact with a person infected with the virus while aboard an aircraft, and that it would continue to monitor them.
Dozens of passengers left hantavirus-stricken cruise ship after first fatality
16:46 , Dan HaygarthMore than two dozen passengers from at least 12 different countries left the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak without contact tracing nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board, the ship operator and Dutch officials said Thursday.
Health authorities on at least four continents are now tracking down and in some cases monitoring the cruise passengers who returned home on 24 April, and trying to trace others who may have come into contact with them.
Experts say the risk to the wider public is considered low because hantavirus — usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings — isn't easily transmitted between people.
The Dutch health ministry said Thursday that a flight attendant on a plane briefly boarded by an infected cruise passenger in South Africa was showing symptoms of hantavirus and would be tested in an isolation ward at a hospital in Amsterdam. The cruise passenger, also a Dutch woman, was too ill to fly and was taken off the plane in Johannesburg, where she died.
If the woman tests positive, she could be the first known person not on the MV Hondius to become infected in the outbreak.
Three cruise ship passengers have died in the outbreak, and several others are sick. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.
Watch: WHO investigate past movements of birdwatching couple linked to hantavirus outbreak
16:45 , Dan Haygarth'This is not covid', WHO says
16:43 , Dan HaygarthThe WHO repeated that the risk to the general public was "low" even if the Andean strain of the virus, found in several victims, can in rare cases be transmitted among humans.
"This is not coronavirus, this is a very different virus," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic management, told a press conference.
"This is not the same situation we were in six years ago." The WHO said it was working on step-by-step guidance for when the dozens of passengers remaining on the ship, which is sailing to the Canary Islands, arrives there on Saturday or Sunday and the passengers disembark and travel home.
None of these passengers currently have any symptoms.
Threat from hantavirus for general public 'remains low'
16:15 , Rebecca WhittakerHealth chiefs continue to stress that the overall threat to the public from hantavirus remains low.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the department of epidemic and pandemic threat management at the WHO, said: “The risk to the general public is low.
“Hantaviruses are relatively uncommon, even though there may be thousands of cases estimated each year.”
Deadly hantavirus cruise ship outbreak caused by couple’s birdwatching trip to landfill site, experts fear
16:05 , Rebecca WhittakerThe deadly outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship may have been caused by a Dutch couple contracting the illness during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia, Argentina, health officials fear.
Two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the outbreak on the ship, which sailed from southern Argentina, said this is now the government’s leading hypothesis.
The couple visited a landfill site during the birdwatching tour, authorities said, where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection. Authorities previously said that Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego had never recorded a case of the hantavirus.
Read more here:
Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak ‘possibly caused by couple’s birdwatching trip’
'Good news' on patient in hospital with hantavirus
15:52 , Rebecca WhittakerTwo Britons who were medically evacuated from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship are improving, global health officials have said.
A British passenger, understood to be a 69-year-old man, was taken to South Africa on April 27 and is receiving care at a private health facility in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Another Briton, Martin Anstee, 56, was taken off the MV Hondius on Wednesday and flown to the Netherlands to receive specialist medical care.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, from the World Health Organisation (WHO), said two patients – known to include a Briton – remain in hospital in the Netherlands, and another Briton is in intensive care in South Africa.
She told a WHO press briefing: “I am very happy to say the patient in South Africa is doing better, and the two patients in the Netherlands we hear are stable. So that is actually very good news.”
Watch: WHO warn six week incubation period could mean further hantavirus cases reported
15:45 , Rebecca Whittaker'Moral has improved significantly since the ship started moving again,' ship captain says
15:40 , Rebecca WhittakerThe captain of the MV Hondius, which was hit by hantavirus, said “moral has improved significantly since the ship started moving again,” speaking with Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
Dr Ghebreyesus said: “I have been in touch with the ship’s captain regularly, including this morning. He told me morale has improved significantly since the ship started moving again. I thank him for everything he has done to protect those under his duty of care.”
He thanked the ships operator for its cooperation and the passengers and crew “going through a very difficult and frightening situation.”
“And I would also like to thank the ship’s operator for its cooperation, and the passengers and crew who are going through a very difficult and frightening situation.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 7, 2026
I have been in touch with the ship’s captain regularly, including this morning. He told me morale has improved…
Hantavirus spreads 'very differently' to Covid, WHO says
15:33 , Rebecca WhittakerThe World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed that hantavirus is not like Covid or the flu and spreads “very differently”.
"Those who develop symptoms, those who go on to develop disease sometimes develop very severe disease, which includes severe respiratory disease," Dr Maria van Kerkhove said.
"There may be some coughing, there may be some aerosolised procedures that may be done, of course, that's where we would require higher level of care.
"This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently."
Health chiefs race to contain hantavirus as two cruise ship passengers forced to self-isolate in UK
15:30 , Rebecca Whittaker
Health chiefs race to contain hantavirus as two people forced to self-isolate in UK
South Africa are 'taking the lead' on contact tracing, according to WHO
15:23 , Rebecca WhittakerThe World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with health authorities in South Africa to trace contacts of the two cases of hantavirus in the country, which includes one Briton who is still in intensive care there.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the department of epidemic and pandemic threat management at the WHO, said: “There have been two confirmed cases in South Africa.
“One was the second case that was identified, the contact the wife of the first case, who sadly passed away. And then there is another case that is currently in ICU in South Africa, and this person is doing better as we understand.”
She said authorities in South Africa are “taking the lead” on contact tracing.
“Not only have they identified the passengers and are following up from the flight, but they’re also following up any contacts for people who attended to the woman who passed away, who went through the airport, people medically caring for the man who is in ICU.”
Dr Van Kerkhove said testing on contacts in South Africa have so far come back negative.
Watch: WHO investigate past movements of birdwatching couple linked to hantavirus outbreak
15:21 , Rebecca WhittakerHantavirus outbreak is not 'expected to be an epidemic', WHO says
15:20 , Rebecca WhittakerThe outbreak of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius is not expected to be an epidemic, health officials have said.
Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, director at the alert and response co-ordination department of the World Health Organisation’s Emergencies Health Programme, highlighted a similar outbreak in Argentina in 2018/19 which led to 34 cases.
He said: “If we follow public health measures, and the lessons we learned from Argentina are shared across all countries… we can break this chain of transmission and this doesn’t need to be a large epidemic.”
Dr Mahamud added: “We don’t anticipate a large epidemic. With experience our member states have, and the actions they have taken, we believe that this will not lead to subsequent chain of transmission.”
UK first sounded the alarm about the hantavirus outbreak
15:14 , Rebecca WhittakerThe UK was the first to sound the alarm about the hantavirus outbreak, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
Dr Tedros said: “Last Saturday, the United Kingdom notified WHO, under the International Health Regulations, of a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship the MV Hondius, which had travelled from Argentina to Cape Verde.
“So far, eight cases have been reported, including three deaths.
“Five of the eight cases have been confirmed as hantavirus, and the other three are suspected.”
He said that it is possible that more cases may be identified given the incubation period of the virus.
“Given the incubation period of the Andes Virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported,” he said.
“While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk low.”
First time there has been a hantavirus outbreak on a ship, WHO says
15:11 , Rebecca WhittakerThe World Health Organisation believes this is the first case of hantavirus being spread between passengers on boat, but reassured that there is no further indication of anything “unusual”.
"What is most unusual is that we have a transmission on a boat, which I think is the first documented to date with this particular virus," public health officer Anais Legand said.
"A boat makes it a very specific environment for which we want to make sure that we have a good understanding on how the transmission has happened, and most importantly, to strengthen all the measures that my colleagues developed.
"There is no indication to date that there is something further unusual, but obviously the fact that it happened on a cruise ship with people from different nationalities and is something we haven't seen before."
Virus passed between patient and medical doctor, WHO says
14:56 , Rebecca WhittakerThe World Health Organization has urged those caring for people with suspected hantavirus to wear “protective equipment”.
In previous outbreaks of hantavirus there have been human to human transmission mainly among close contacts either providing clinical care or people who have been in close physical contact.
Dr Maria van Kerkhove, technical consultant for WHO said: “We believe this has happened here on the ship as well between the couple, the first and second cases, and also a medical doctor providing care.”
She added that in addition to disinfecting the cabins on the ship and isolating, people have also been asked to wear a mask when leaving their rooms.
“We have no symptomatic passengers or crew on board, which is a good sign, but of course there is a long incubation period of the Andes virus,” Dr van Kerkhove reassured.
Head of WHO says the hantavirus outbreak is a 'serious incident'
14:37 , Rebecca Whittaker“This is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low,” Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, has said.
“Our priority is to make sure the affected patients receive care, that the remaining passengers on the ship are kept safe and treated with dignity and to prevent any further spread of the virus.”
“All passengers have been asked to stay in their cabins, the cabins have been disinfected and anyone who shows symptoms will be isolated immediately.”
Five confirmed hantavirus cases, WHO says
14:31 , Rebecca WhittakerThere are now five confirmed cases of hantavirus in the outbreak, with eight reported cases and three deaths, the head of the World Health Organisation has said.
Tedros Ghebreyesus said all passengers have been told to stay in their cabins and two doctors will stay on board, to conduct tests, until the ship reaches the Canary Islands.
World Health Organisation briefing expected
14:07 , Dan HaygarthA press conference is expected to begin imminently.
Recap: Oceanwide Expeditions statement
13:45 , Dan HaygarthTour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement: “On 1 April 2026, 114 guests boarded MV Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina.
“30 guests disembarked MV Hondius on Saint Helena on 24 April 2026.
“This number includes the body of the guest who passed away on board MV Hondius on 11 April 2026.”
The 30 people who disembarked were from 12 nations, including seven Britons.
Oceanwide Expeditions said guests who disembarked have been contacted.
Watch: Passenger stuck on ship at centre of hantavirus outbreak says atmosphere 'relatively good'
13:30 , Rebecca WhittakerPeople can harbour the virus for a long time, expert says
13:28 , Dan HaygarthAsked how soon somebody would know they have hantavirus, Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), told BBC Breakfast this morning that people can harbour the virus for a long time.
He said: “I think we need to make a distinction between being symptomatically infected and being infected.
“So obviously, those individuals who are ill at the moment, all of those individuals have been tested. Some of them, we have the results back, and they are clearly positive for the virus. So those are the individuals of highest concern.
“As with any outbreak, there may be some people that have kind of similar symptoms, sort of respiratory symptoms, that may be unrelated, so we’ll keep testing those. And then there is also the possibility that you can harbour this virus asymptomatically, so without any signs, for actually quite an extended period of time.
“We can test people by PCR. I’m sure people will remember during Covid, PCR tests to look for the kind of genome of this virus in people.
“But actually that’s not always detected every time, so just because someone might have a negative test, for example, we need to continue to monitor them for some days, because the amount of the virus in people who are not displaying symptoms can be very, very low, so it can be easy to miss. So even for people who are healthy but have been exposed, we’ll be continuing to monitor them for quite some time when they get back to the UK.”
British expedition guide with hantavirus has ‘no idea how long I’ll be in hospital for’ after cruise ship outbreak
13:20 , Rebecca Whittaker
British expedition guide with hantavirus is isolating in hospital
Recap: Seven British people disembarked at St Helena
13:10 , Rebecca WhittakerSeven British people disembarked from the hantavirus-hit ship mid-way through the cruise alongside a woman who later died, it has emerged.
A total of 29 people left the ship when it docked in the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena, including a Dutch woman who became unwell during onward travel and later died.
Tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement: “On 1 April 2026, 114 guests boarded MV Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina.
“30 guests disembarked MV Hondius on Saint Helena on 24 April 2026.
“This number includes the body of the guest who passed away on board MV Hondius on 11 April 2026.”
Passengers will be evacuated early next week
12:57 , Rebecca WhittakerThe MV Hondius is on its way to Tenerife in the Canary Islands and if it arrives by the weekend passengers will be evacuated by 11 May, the Spanish interior ministry said.
Spanish passengers are set to be taken to a hospital in the Spanish capital Madrid and EU members states will repatriate their own nationals from the Canary Islands.
Ship company said there was 'no evidence of a virus or contagion' after first death
12:53 , Rebecca WhittakerOceanwide Expeditions, which owns the MV Hondius, has said it is aware of a video showing the onboard announcement to guests of the death on board on 11 April 2026.
It explained in a statement that at the time of the first death “the cause of death was unknown and there was no evidence of a virus or contagion on board.”
“The case was believed to be isolated following medical review,” it added.
After evacuation of an unwell guest on 27 April, the ship's medical team requested testing to determine whether any common pathogens were present.
Recap: 'Traumatic few days' for British crew member evacuated from cruise ship, wife says
12:30 , Rebecca WhittakerBritish crew member Martin Anstee was among those evacuated from the ship, The Telegraph has reported.
The 56 year old expedition guide and former police officer was flown to receive specialist medical care in the Netherlands after being airlifted off the vessel.
His wife Nicola told The Telegraph it had been “a very traumatic few days.
“He’s relieved to be off the ship. He had it quite mild then it got a bit more serious and now he’s stable again.
“The fear with this virus is it can deteriorate very quickly so it’s been a bit up and down for him.
“I don’t believe he’s in imminent danger now but it was horrible.”
Two Singaporean residents from the cruise are self isolating
12:20 , Rebecca WhittakerTwo Singaporean residents are self isolating and being tested for hantavirus after spending time aboard the MV Hondius, according to a government health agency.
They have been isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, where they are being tested for hantavirus, the Communicable Diseases Agency said.
One individual "has a runny nose but is otherwise well" while the other is asymptomatic, the Communicable Diseases Agency said.
But it stressed that the “risk to the general public in Singapore is currently low.”
A 67-year-old Singaporean man arrived in Singapore on 2 May, while another man, a 65-year-old permanent resident, arrived in the country yesterday.
Their tests for hantavirus are pending.
Watch: Video captured aboard MV Hondius shows captain informing travellers of passenger death
12:10 , Rebecca WhittakerPictured: The British hantavirus patient who is isolating in hospital
11:51 , Rebecca WhittakerA British hantavirus patient who is isolating in hospital after being dramatically rescued from the cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak has said he is “doing okay”, but still needs more tests.
Martin Anstee, 56, was an expedition guide on board the MV Hondius, the vessel that has been hit by the pathogen that is carried by rodents.
The former police officer is currently at a hospital in the Netherlands and told Sky News he has “no idea how long I'll be in hospital for.”
“I’m in isolation at the moment,” he added.
However, he did not say what symptoms he was experiencing and hopes to “have a clearer picture” later this week.
What we know about the passengers who left the cruise at St. Helena
11:41 , Rebecca WhittakerPassengers left the hantavirus-hit cruise on April 24 without contact tracing, nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board, the ship operator and Dutch officials said.
Oceanwide Expeditions, which owns the MV Hondius, previously said the body of the Dutch man who died on April 11 was taken off the ship on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena, where his wife also disembarked. She then flew to South Africa and died there.
It added that 29 passengers left the vessel, while the Dutch Foreign Ministry put the number at about 40.
The people who left the ship to return to their home countries were of at least 12 different nationalities.
Health chiefs in South Africa and Europe are trying to trace contacts of any passengers who got off the ship.
It also emerged Wednesday that a man tested positive for hantavirus in Switzerland after he also disembarked at St. Helena and flew home, though his precise movements aren’t clear.
Dutch authorities did not confirm where other passengers who disembarked are now.
Ship company confirms 30 guests left the boat in St Helena
11:28 , Rebecca WhittakerOceanwide Expeditions, which owns the MV Hondius, has confirmed that 30 guests disembarked along with the body of the passenger who died at St Helena.
It said 114 guests boarded the cruise in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 and on April 24, 30 guests disembarked on Saint Helena, including the body of the guest who died on April 11.
The company said in a statement: “The first confirmed case of hantavirus was not reported until 4 May 2026. These disembarked guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions.
“We are working to establish details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops of m/v Hondius since March 20.”
The ship is due to dock at Granadilla port in Tenerife, Spain, within four days, the company added.
“No symptomatic individuals are present on board. Oceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline,” it said.
Race to find plane passengers from the hantavirus- hit cruise
11:19 , Rebecca WhittakerHealth chiefs are racing to find the people who have taken flights with the passengers on board the hantavirus- hit cruise.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “We’ve been tracing individuals on the boat, contacts they have made on shore in South America who may have been associated and, of course, for the individuals who’ve returned home, earlier contacts they have made too on the flights or since they’ve been at home.
“So it’s been quite a mammoth effort. We will continue to do that if other information arises.”
He explained they are not tracking people who may be very transient contacts - such as those who they walked past in the airport. But those who sat next to them on a flight will be alerted.
He said: “So that would be family members, people who might have shared a room on the cruise, people who may, for example, have sat directly next to somebody on a long haul flight and reaching out to them so that they can be monitored and alerted.”
British doctor airlifted from hantavirus-hit cruise ship as cases rise onboard
11:15 , Rebecca WhittakerThree patients, including a British doctor, were airlifted from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship to receive specialist medical care on Wednesday.
A total of eight suspected cases of the deadly disease have now been linked to the MV Hondius, with five of those cases now confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
There have been three deaths among passengers aboard the luxury cruise ship, which is currently sitting off Cape Verde as it prepares to sail to Spain’s Canary Islands.
Read more here:
British doctor airlifted from hantavirus-hit cruise ship as cases rise onboard
Watch: Canary Islands president opposes hantavirus-hit cruise docking in Tenerife
11:00 , Rebecca WhittakerHow does hantavirus spread between passengers?
10:45 , Rebecca WhittakerThere is evidence of human to human transmission of the Andes strain of hantavirus.
Usually its transmitted though rodents urine, droppings or saliva but with prolonged contact household members or intimate partners can pass it on “during the early phase of illness when there is a high viral burden,” Dr Cariad Evans, Consultant in Virology at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said.
She explained the virus may have spread through use of shared bathrooms or in enclosed cabins.
She said: “This outbreak timeline suggests transmission may have occurred to some individuals onboard MV Hondius, a unique setting which would favour transmission if there has been continued use of shared bathrooms like a household setting or enclosed environments like shared cabins, which could lead to close contact with infectious virus from a symptomatic individual.”
British expedition guide with hantavirus has ‘no idea how long I’ll be in hospital for’ after cruise ship outbreak
10:27 , Rebecca WhittakerA British hantavirus patient who is isolating in hospital after being dramatically rescued from the cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak has said he is “doing okay”, but still needs more tests.
Martin Anstee, 56, was an expedition guide on board the MV Hondius, the vessel that has been hit by the pathogen that is carried by rodents.
The former police officer is currently at a hospital in the Netherlands and told Sky News he has “no idea how long I'll be in hospital for.”
Read more here:
British expedition guide with hantavirus is isolating in hospital
Flight attendant showing symptoms of hantavirus taken to hospital
10:09 , Rebecca WhittakerA flight attendant at Dutch airline KLM has been taken to hospital in Amsterdam after showing possible symptoms of a hantavirus infection.
The country's health ministry has said the woman had been in contact with a woman who died from an infection of the virus in Johannesburg, South Africa.
She is being tested while in isolation, the Dutch broadcaster RTL reported.
Experts work to determine if Argentina is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak
10:00 , Rebecca WhittakerExperts in Argentina are trying to determine if their country is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
The outbreak comes as Argentina sees a surge of hantavirus cases that many local public health researchers attribute to the recently accelerating effects of climate change.
Argentina is consistently ranked by the World Health Organization as having the highest incidence of the rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America.
Higher temperatures expand the virus’ range because, in part, as it gets warmer and ecosystems change, rodents that carry the hantavirus can thrive in more places, experts say.
“Argentina has become more tropical because of climate change, and that has brought disruptions, like dengue and yellow fever, but also new tropical plants that produce seeds for mice to proliferate,” said Hugo Pizzi, a prominent Argentine infectious disease specialist.
“There is no doubt that as time goes by, the hantavirus is spreading more and more.”
The Argentine Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, roughly double what was recorded in the previous year.
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
09:50 , Rebecca WhittakerWhat is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
40 passengers visited Atlantic island after a passenger died
09:29 , Rebecca WhittakerAbout 40 passengers on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak visited the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena after the first passenger died, Dutch officials said Thursday.
Passengers including the wife of a Dutch man who died, left the cruise ship during a stop at the British territory, the Dutch foreign ministry said.
The cruise company that operates the ship previously said the Dutch woman disembarked the ship with her husband's body at St. Helena. She then flew to South Africa on a commercial plane.
However, the company has not acknowledged that anyone else got off the ship.
Dutch authorities did not confirm where the passengers who disembarked are now. Authorities in South Africa and Europe are trying to trace contacts of any passengers who got off the ship.
Pictured: Second plane believed to be carrying a sick passenger arrives in Amsterdam
09:21 , Rebecca Whittaker
Passengers may have to isolate for up to 45 days
09:10 , Rebecca WhittakerBritish passengers on board a hantavirus-hit cruise ship will be asked to self-isolate in the UK for 45 days, a health official has suggested, as two Britons who already returned from the vessel continue to isolate at home.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said “for the broader public, not directly involved in this cruise ship, the risk here is really negligible”.
But he told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme that those British passengers on the ship who are now on their way to Tenerife will be flown home and asked to self-isolate, most likely at home, for a period of 45 days.
Prof May said the “most extreme case of incubation” of hantavirus “may be up to eight weeks” but general consensus is people need to isolate for “probably six weeks, and so that’s the period of isolation, 45 days that we’re likely to be recommending”.
Watch: Two self-isolating in UK after possible exposure on board, health officials say
08:45 , Rebecca Whittaker‘Why us?’ Tenerife locals fear hantavirus cruise ship arrival will repeat Covid pandemic ordeal
08:25 , Rebecca WhittakerThe Spanish government sparked a furious backlash after saying that the virus-stricken MV Hondius would dock in Tenerife by the end of the week.
Islanders tell Graham Keeley that the arrival of the ship evokes memories of the pandemic in 2020.
Read more here:
‘Why us?’ Tenerife locals fear hantavirus cruise ship arrival to repeat Covid ordeal
People can harbour hantavirus for a long time and show no symptoms, experts say
08:10 , Rebecca WhittakerPeople can “harbour the virus for a long time” and some people can be asymptomatic, according to Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
He told BBC Breakfast: “I think we need to make a distinction between being symptomatically infected and being infected.
“So obviously, those individuals who are ill at the moment, all of those individuals have been tested. Some of them, we have the results back, and they are clearly positive for the virus. So those are the individuals of highest concern.
“As with any outbreak, there may be some people that have kind of similar symptoms, sort of respiratory symptoms, that may be unrelated, so we’ll keep testing those. And then there is also the possibility that you can harbour this virus asymptomatically, so without any signs, for actually quite an extended period of time.
“We can test people by PCR. I’m sure people will remember during Covid, PCR tests to look for the kind of genome of this virus in people.
“But actually that’s not always detected every time, so just because someone might have a negative test, for example, we need to continue to monitor them for some days, because the amount of the virus in people who are not displaying symptoms can be very, very low, so it can be easy to miss. So even for people who are healthy but have been exposed, we’ll be continuing to monitor them for quite some time when they get back to the UK.”
British man being treated in the Netherlands is 'doing well' expert says
08:00 , Rebecca WhittakerProfessor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said it was a “good sign” the British man being treated in the Netherlands was able to communicate with family.
He told BBC Breakfast: “So one British national was evacuated alongside two other nationals yesterday. He’s in the Netherlands. Our understanding is that he’s doing well, which is good.
“He is going to be under investigation for some time, obviously, but I’m very pleased that he’s now in hospital and receiving the treatment he needs.
“There are two UK nationals who left the cruise earlier, as often happens on cruises of course, people join for parts of it. Before this outbreak was detected, they returned back to the UK.
“But obviously there’s a chance they may have been exposed to the virus. So we have been in contact with them. They have agreed very kindly to self-isolate for the next period of time.
“We’re working very closely with them to monitor them, obviously, and to support them and their families until we know they have the all clear. And actually, that’s the process we’ll be using when the other British nationals on board return home, hopefully in a couple of days’ time too.”
MV Hondius: Hantavirus is on the rise in Argentina and scientists think they know why
07:50 , Rebecca WhittakerArgentine officials and experts are scrambling to determine if their country is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has gripped Atlantic cruise, MV Hondius.
The health emergency aboard the vessel coincides with a surge of hantavirus cases in Argentina, which local public health researchers attribute to the recently accelerating effects of climate change. Argentina, the departure point for the Antarctic cruise, is consistently ranked by the World Health Organisation as having the highest incidence of this rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America.
Experts suggest higher temperatures expand the virus’s range because, as it gets warmer and ecosystems change, hantavirus-carrying rodents can thrive in more places.
Read more here:
MV Hondius: Hantavirus is on the rise in Argentina and scientists think they know why
Scientists reassure human transmission is rare as two return to UK
07:40 , Rebecca WhittakerScientists reassure that the risk of human to human transmission although possible is very low and requires very close contact.
It comes as two people who returned to the UK from the cruise ship that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak have been told to self-isolate.
Jonathan Ball, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Molecular Virology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: “Self-isolation, and monitoring for the appearance of any virus-like symptoms - for example fever and aches - together with repeat testing over several weeks will help ensure early detection and prevent any risk of onward infection.
“But hopefully these two people have not been infected, and this turns out to be wise, albeit inconvenient, precaution.”
Health chiefs are tracing individuals who may have come into contact with those onboard
07:31 , Rebecca WhittakerHealth chiefs have been tracing individuals on the boat and contacts they made on shore in South America.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) explained for those who have returned home, they are also tracing contacts from the flights and people they have been in contact with since returning.
He said: “So with all transmissible diseases, we undertake contact tracing after the first case is identified. And this one, of course, has been a very intense effort, and I’m very grateful for both people within the organisation and all those members of the public who’ve helped us with this.
“So it’s been quite a mammoth effort. We will continue to do that if other information arises.”
He added “this is not a virus that spreads easily between humans” but given it can spread between individuals, “we are contact tracing everyone who might have been in close contact”.
He said: “So that would be family members, people who might have shared a room on the cruise, people who may, for example, have sat directly next to somebody on a long haul flight and reaching out to them so that they can be monitored and alerted. We’re not including people who may be very transient contacts – such as who you might have walked past in the airport – because the risk of transmission there is extremely low.”
Health chiefs say the 'severe disease' only has one strain that passes between humans
07:26 , Rebecca WhittakerHantavirus is such a “such a severe disease” there are global efforts to try and develop vaccines against it, Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
The virus is widespread around the world but it doesn’t always pass between humans.
“This one, in particular, the Andean strain, is the only one for which there is some evidence in the past of human to human transmission, and so that’s obviously our primary focus here,” he told BBC Breakfast.
