The final passengers have now left the MV Hondius after a hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship left three people dead and infected passengers from multiple countries. The vessel departed Tenerife for the Netherlands on Monday after its remaining six passengers — four Australians, one Briton and one New Zealander — disembarked alongside some crew members.
According to the World Health Organization, eight confirmed cases and two probable cases linked to the outbreak have so far been identified across six countries. Three people have died, including two with confirmed hantavirus infections and one probable case.
Here is a breakdown of the countries affected:
Netherlands
The Netherlands has recorded two deaths and one confirmed infection linked to the outbreak.
A Dutch couple who had travelled through Argentina before boarding the ship in Ushuaia on 1 April were the first fatalities associated with the outbreak.
The 70-year-old husband developed symptoms on 6 April and died on 11 April. His body was removed from the ship during a stop at Saint Helena between 22 and 24 April.
No hantavirus test was carried out before his death, and the WHO classifies him as a “probable case”.
His 69-year-old wife, who also left the ship on Saint Helena after becoming unwell, deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg and died in hospital on 26 April. Hantavirus infection was confirmed on 4 May.
A third Dutch case involved the ship’s doctor, who developed symptoms on 30 April and tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus on 6 May. He was evacuated to the Netherlands from Cape Verde and was reported to be in stable condition while receiving treatment in isolation.
Britain
Two British nationals have been confirmed infected, while another has been classified as a probable case.
One British man became ill on 24 April with fever and pneumonia symptoms and was evacuated three days later from Ascension Island to South Africa, where he was placed in intensive care.
His hantavirus infection was confirmed on 2 May, with sequencing later identifying the Andes strain.
A second British man, who worked as a guide on the ship, developed symptoms on 27 April and tested positive on 6 May. He was evacuated from Cape Verde to the Netherlands on 7 May and remained stable in isolation.
A third British passenger disembarked on Tristan da Cunha on 14 April before reporting symptoms on 28 April. The WHO has listed him as a probable case pending laboratory results.
British ministers said military paratroopers and medics parachuted onto the remote island to deliver urgent medical supplies.
Germany
A German woman who developed fever on 28 April and later pneumonia died on board the ship on 2 May.
Testing conducted in the Netherlands later confirmed she had been infected with the Andes strain of hantavirus.
Her body remained on the ship as it prepared to leave Tenerife for the Netherlands.
Switzerland
A Swiss man left the Hondius in Saint Helena on 22 April and travelled to Switzerland via South Africa and Qatar.
He developed symptoms on 1 May after arriving in Switzerland and later tested positive for the Andes strain on 5 May while being treated in isolation.
