Outbreak page

MV Hondius Andes Virus Outbreak Tracker

Snapshot, ship route map, passenger status and full timeline for the 2026 MV Hondius Andes hantavirus cluster. Compiled from WHO, ECDC and CDC public updates.

Outbreak Snapshot

Current Case Count

Total

11

Confirmed + probable + suspected

Confirmed

9

Lab-confirmed Andes virus

Probable

2

Symptomatic, epi-linked

Deaths

3

Cluster-linked deaths

Monitoring Period

WHO recommends a 42-day monitoring window after last exposure (10 May 2026). Monitoring runs through 2026-06-21.

Ship Route Map

Public reporting compiled from WHO Disease Outbreak News and ECDC updates. Markers show key voyage points; the polyline is illustrative.

  • 2026-04-01 — Ushuaia, Argentina

    Reported voyage departure point for Antarctic and Atlantic itinerary.

    Source

  • 2026-04-06 — South Atlantic voyage segment

    Earliest illness onset date reported in WHO outbreak notice.

    Source

  • 2026-05-02 — MV Hondius, South Atlantic

    Cluster of severe respiratory illness reported to WHO.

    Source

  • 2026-05-06 — Cabo Verde

    Medical evacuation of suspected and confirmed patients.

    Source

  • 2026-05-10 — Port of Granadilla, Tenerife, Canary Islands

    MV Hondius arrived for disembarkation and repatriation operations.

    Source

  • 2026-05-12 — En route to the Netherlands

    WHO stated the ship was on its way to the Netherlands after passengers left Tenerife.

    Source

Passenger and Crew Status

Confirmed, Probable, Repatriated, and Monitoring

Confirmed

9

Probable

2

Deaths

3

Repatriated

~122

Under monitoring

~122

Crew onboard

~25

Case totals use the WHO 12 May 2026 briefing. Repatriated, monitoring, and crew-onboard numbers are tracker operational estimates derived from public WHO/ECDC updates and should be treated as approximate until country-level authorities publish final monitoring totals.

Detailed Timeline

Public Health Response Events

  1. Earliest reported illness onset

    WHO later reported illness onset among cases occurred between 6 and 28 April 2026.

  2. WHO notified of cluster

    A cluster of severe respiratory illness aboard MV Hondius was reported to WHO.

  3. WHO publishes first Disease Outbreak News

    WHO reported seven cases, including two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus cases and three deaths.

  4. CDC issues MV Hondius statement

    CDC said the risk to the American public was extremely low and linked readers to hantavirus and Andes virus information.

  5. WHO update identifies Andes virus

    WHO reported eight total cases, including six confirmed and two probable cases, with all confirmed cases identified as Andes virus.

  6. MV Hondius arrives in Tenerife

    The ship arrived at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, for disembarkation and repatriation.

  7. WHO reports 11 cases and 3 deaths

    WHO reported 11 cases among passengers or crew: 9 confirmed Andes virus infections, 2 probable cases, and 3 deaths.

  8. Tracker dataset verified

    Hantavirus Tracker manually verified the 11-case headline count and 42-day monitoring window.

Case Definitions Used Here

Confirmed case
Symptomatic person with laboratory confirmation of Andes virus by RT-PCR or serology, per WHO/ECDC criteria.
Probable case
Symptomatic person epidemiologically linked to a confirmed or probable case without lab confirmation yet.
Suspected case
Person with exposure history aboard MV Hondius and fever plus respiratory, gastrointestinal, or muscle symptoms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Methodology and Sources

Manual Updates Twice Daily

This page is manually updated. Counts use the most recent WHO briefing as the primary source; ECDC and CDC are used for cross-verification and route detail. See methodology.

Primary Sources