TOPSHOT - This aerial picture shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 3, 2026. An outbreak of "severe acute respiratory illness" on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left two people dead and a third in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa's health ministry told AFP on May 3, 2026. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. The patient being treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A deadly outbreak of the rare hantavirus unfolded over the course of weeks on a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean as passengers and crew members fell sick. Information from the cruise operator, health authorities and ship tracking data shows nearly a month passed between when the first passenger fell sick in the South Atlantic and tests in South Africa confirmed that hantavirus was on the ship. Hantavirus is spread by rodents. People can get it through contact with infected rodents’ saliva, urine or droppings. It doesn’t usually spread from person to person, but some health authorities say such transmission could be possible.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
