Argentina is scrambling to determine whether it is the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has infected passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, as reports indicate some individuals have returned to their home countries. The cruise. Which departed from Argentina. Has been linked to the Andes strain of the virus, known for causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe and often fatal lung disease.

Outbreak Details and Cases

The Argentine health ministry reported 101 hantavirus infections since June 2025, doubling the number from the previous year — the Andes virus, prevalent in South America, has a nearly 30% fatality rate, according to the health ministry. Three passengers have died. With one in intensive care in South Africa and three others evacuated from the ship.

Argentina has dispatched genetic material and testing equipment to Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom to aid in detection; the virus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents, although limited human-to-human transmission has been observed in previous outbreaks involving the Andes strain.

Concerns About Infected Passengers

Concerns have arisen about 23 passengers who reportedly disembarked on the island of Saint Helena on 23 April. A passenger, speaking to Spanish newspaper El País, expressed concern that these individuals had not been contacted until recently. Some of these passengers have returned to their home countries, including the United States.

According to the New York Times, American passengers are being monitored in Georgia, California, and Arizona, but none have shown signs of illness. The first death on the ship, a 70-year-old Dutch man, occurred on 11 April. His body was removed from the vessel nearly two weeks later at Saint Helena. His 69-year-old wife traveled by plane from Saint Helena to South Africa, where she collapsed at an airport and died on 26 April. A German woman also died on 2 May.

Investigations and Public Health Response

Argentine officials are working to determine where infected passengers traveled in the country before boarding the Dutch-flagged cruise liner in Ushuaia. Once itineraries are identified, they plan to trace contacts, isolate close contacts, and monitor to prevent further spread. The Dutch couple had sightseeing in Ushuaia and traveled in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile before boarding the ship.

The virus can incubate for one to eight weeks, making it difficult to determine whether passengers contracted the virus before leaving Argentina for Antarctica on 1 April; during a stop at a remote South Atlantic island; or onboard the ship. The WHO is collaborating with the ship’s operators to monitor the health of passengers and crew and to provide medical follow-up and evacuation where needed.

The evacuation of three passengers has allowed the ship to continue its journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for docking. However, the president of the Canary Islands has expressed concern about the ship docking in Tenerife. The ship was anchored off Cape Verde while arrangements were made to evacuate crew members but was on its way to the Canary Islands by Wednesday evening.

Those evacuated included a British man, Martin Anstee, 56, who was an expedition guide on the ship. He was removed along with a Dutch colleague, 41, who was the ship’s doctor, and a 65-year-old German passenger, according to the Telegraph. The WHO maintains that the overall public health risk remains low.

Public health experts in Argentina have linked the spread of hantavirus to climate change, noting that higher temperatures expand the virus’ range. As ecosystems change, rodents that carry the virus can thrive in more areas. People typically contract the virus from exposure to rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.

“Argentina has become more tropical because of climate change, and that has brought disruptions, like dengue and yellow fever, but also new tropical plants that produce seeds for mice to proliferate,” said Hugo Pizzi, a prominent Argentine infectious disease specialist. “There is no doubt that as time goes by, the hantavirus is spreading more and more.”