İlayda Çakırtekin
06 May 2026•Update: 06 May 2026
Swiss authorities confirmed a hantavirus case in a man who was previously a passenger aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization (WHO) and local media reported Wednesday.
"Swiss authorities have confirmed a case of #hantavirus identified in a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship," WHO announced on US social media company X.
The organization said the man is receiving treatment at a hospital in Zurich after seeking medical care in response to an email from the ship’s operator informing passengers about the health incident.
According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), cited by Swissinfo, the man had recently returned from a trip to South Africa with his wife in late April after traveling aboard the MV Hondius.
His wife showed no symptoms but entered self-isolation as a precautionary measure. Authorities are also working to determine whether the patient had contact with other individuals.
The FOPH said additional cases in Switzerland are unlikely and assessed the risk to the public as low.
The cruise ship, carrying around 150 passengers, was hit by a hantavirus outbreak off the coast of Cabo Verde, with three deaths reported. The Dutch vessel had been on a week-long polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica.
WHO said there are eight cases as of May 6, three of which have been laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections.
The agency reaffirmed that the virus involved in the outbreak was identified as the Andes hantavirus.
WHO said it is coordinating with authorities in Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the UK, as well as the ship’s operators, while investigations including contact tracing and virus sequencing continue.
The ship is expected to proceed to the Canary Islands following the evacuation of several infected patients, where Spanish authorities will conduct a full investigation and disinfection process, WHO said.
The Spanish Health Ministry announced on the US social media company X that medicalized aircraft are taking off to transfer the three patients infected with hantavirus to the Netherlands.
"The ship's doctor, who as initially planned to be evacuated to the Canary Islands, will also be transferred to the Netherlands following the improvement in his health condition," the Ministry added.
