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WHO confirms 8 hantavirus cases on Atlantic cruise ship and expects new cases

2 sources · 08 May 2026 · Share coverage ·

WHO confirmed 8 hantavirus cases on an Atlantic cruise ship, with 3 deaths recorded. The MV Hondius is sailing to Tenerife, where approximately 150 passengers and crew will be evacuated starting Monday.

Hantavirus is a rare disease normally transmitted by infected rodents and is endemic in some Argentine regions. The Andes strain, detected in infected passengers, is the only known strain with cases of human-to-human transmission, and there is no vaccine or specific treatment for the virus.

1. What we know (2)

WHO confirmed 8 hantavirus cases on the ship, with 5 confirmed and 3 suspected, and 3 deaths

2 sources Carta Capital Opera Mundi

New cases may emerge due to the virus incubation period

2 sources Carta Capital Opera Mundi
2. Where coverage thins out (4)

Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.

Covered by only some sources (2)

The evacuation in Tenerife is scheduled to begin starting Monday

Reported by: Carta Capital
Did not cover: Opera Mundi

12 countries were notified by WHO due to the disembarkation of their citizens

Reported by: Opera Mundi
Did not cover: Carta Capital

Conflicting versions (2)

Virus incubation period

1 source — "The incubation period can last up to six weeks": Carta Capital
1 source — "The incubation period can last up to six months": Opera Mundi

Number of passengers who disembarked in Saint Helena

1 source — "30 passengers disembarked during a stopover in Saint Helena": Carta Capital
1 source — "40 passengers disembarked on Saint Helena island": Opera Mundi
3. What we don't know yet

No gaps declared — all sources converge on the material facts.

All sources

2