A cluster of severe acute respiratory illness, including three deaths and one severely ill individual, has been reported among passengers on a cruise ship travelling in the Atlantic and registered in the Netherlands. The ship is currently located off the coast of Cabo Verde, with 149 people on board.
Maria Van Kerkhove, Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at the World Health organization (WHO), said that as of 4 May, six suspected cases had been reported aboard the vessel. Three of the cases have unfortunately resulted in death. One patient is currently receiving intensive care treatment in South Africa, while two other patients remain on board and are expected to be evacuated for medical treatment. Around 150 people, including passengers and crew members, are currently on the ship.
“Based on current information and what we know about the virus from previous outbreaks, the overall risk to the public is low,” she adds.
“WHO, together with authorities in Cabo Verde and the Netherlands, and the ship’s operators are working to evacuate the two sick people on board to the Netherlands for medical care. At the present time, there are no other symptomatic people on the ship, but this is being carefully monitored,” she noted.
Maria Van Kerkhove also stated that the ship is currently stationed off the coast of Cabo Verde. Passengers are being asked to stay in their cabins and limit their risk while disinfection and other measures are being taken. Medical teams from Cabo Verde have been supporting the ship’s passengers and crew.
According to the WHO, hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.
Fatality rate
Infection with hantaviruses is found in many parts of the world. Thousands of infections are estimated to occur each year. People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, their droppings, or their saliva. Spread between people is uncommon, but limited spread has been reported among close contacts in some previous outbreaks.
Hantavirus infections are relatively uncommon globally but are associated with a case fatality rate of <1–15% in Asia and Europe and up to 50% in the Americas. Worldwide, it is estimated that from 10 000 to over 100 000 infections occur each year, with the largest burden in Asia and Europe (WHO).
Symptoms
In humans, symptoms usually begin between one and six weeks after exposure, and typically include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.
- In HCPS, the disease may progress rapidly to cough, shortness of breath, accumulation of fluid in the lungs and shock.
- In HFRS, later stages may include low blood pressure, bleeding disorders and kidney failure.
Early diagnosis of hantavirus infection can be challenging because early symptoms are common with other febrile or respiratory illnesses, such as influenza, COVID-19, viral pneumonia, leptospirosis, dengue or sepsis.
A careful patient history is therefore essential, with particular attention to possible rodent exposure, occupational and environmental risks, travel history, and contact with known cases in areas where hantaviruses are present.
There is no licenced specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for hantavirus infection.
Preventing
Preventing hantavirus infection depends primarily on reducing contacts between people and rodents. Effective measures include:
- keeping homes and workplaces clean
- sealing openings that allow rodents to enter buildings
- storing food securely
- using safe cleaning practices in areas contaminated by rodents
- avoiding dry sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings
- dampening of contaminated areas before cleaning
- strengthening hand hygiene practices.
According to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), several aspects of this outbreak are still under investigation, including defining the virus species involved, the origin of infection, the extent of spread among passengers and crew, and whether transmission between people has occurred.
ECDC adds that at present, the risk to the general population in Europe from this outbreak is considered very low, given that appropriate infection prevention and control measures are being implemented on board and that hantaviruses are not easily spread between people.
Key facts
- Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.
- People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
- Infection with hantaviruses can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and death.
- In the Americas, hantaviruses can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a severe respiratory illness, with a case fatality rate up to 50%.
- Andes virus, found in South America, is a currently known hantavirus for which limited human‑to‑human transmission among contacts has been documented.
- In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
05.05.2026.
