Three people, including an elderly couple, have died following a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.
The ship, which had been sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, is currently under investigation by health authorities.
A 70-year-old Dutch man and his wife are among the dead, with arrangements underway to repatriate their bodies.
A third individual has also died, with their body still on board the ship.
A 69-year-old British national — the only confirmed case of hantavirus so far — is receiving intensive care treatment in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hantavirus is a rare infection typically contracted through exposure to infected rodents’ urine or droppings.
In severe cases, it can cause life-threatening respiratory illness. While person-to-person transmission is uncommon, it is possible in rare circumstances.
Further details about the source of the outbreak and potential additional cases have not yet been confirmed.
South Africa's Department of Health spokesman Foster Mohale said the 70-year-old Dutch man "suddenly became ill" as the cruise ship sailed from the city of Ushuaia in Argentina to the island of St Helena.
Mohale said the man presented with "fever, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhoea", before dying on arrival in St Helena.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said they are “closely monitoring” a suspected outbreak of hantavirus on board a cruise ship.
“We are closely monitoring reports of a potential hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius and stand ready to support British nationals if needed,” a spokesperson said.
“We are in touch with the cruise company and local authorities.”
The 69-year-old British national "became ill while the ship was travelling from St Helena to Ascension Island and was transferred from a hospital in Ascension to a South African private health facility in Sandton for medical attention,” a spokesperson from the South African Department of Health said.
The MV Hondius was travelling with around 150 passengers from Argentina and is now anchored at port off the capital of Cape Verde.
Hantavirus hit the headlines last year after the wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman died from a respiratory illness linked to the disease in March 2025.
Betsy Arakawa contracted Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which is a life-threatening lung condition, according to medical experts. It is one of two severe illnesses that can be caused by hantavirus.
