The research team includes experts from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa. Chemist Professor Asel Sartbaeva from the University of Bath is leading part of the work. The group had already begun its vaccine research before the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. Sartbaeva explained that developing a vaccine would help prevent instances of the disease or at least reduce the severity of infections.
The team is using a technology called insilication, which Sartbaeva’s group has been developing for more than 15 years. This method encases vaccines in very thin layers of inorganic material to make them stable at higher temperatures. The goal is to create a vaccine that does not need freezing during transport, allowing for drone deliveries to remote areas. The group in Bath is working with partners in Texas, who developed the antigen against hantavirus, and a company in South Africa called Afrigen.
Other research groups around the world are also pursuing hantavirus vaccines. Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin recently published a high-resolution map of a protein complex that the Andes virus uses to infect cells. This structural detail is a critical step toward designing effective vaccines and antibody treatments. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Canada is developing mRNA and protein subunit vaccine candidates. A partnership between Korea University and the American company Moderna has been working on an mRNA-based hantavirus vaccine since 2023. That project is awaiting funding to begin human clinical trials.
The push for a vaccine comes as health authorities respond to the outbreak on the MV Hondius. The ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries. It followed a route across the South Atlantic with stops in remote areas including Antarctica, South Georgia, and Saint Helena.
As of May 4, the WHO reported seven cases linked to the ship: two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases. Three people have died. One patient is critically ill and in intensive care. Three others reported mild symptoms. The first case, an adult male, developed symptoms on April 6 and died on board on April 11. A female close contact died in South Africa on April 26; she was later confirmed to have hantavirus by PCR testing.
The exact hantavirus species involved and the source of the outbreak remain unknown. Authorities are investigating whether the virus spread through environmental exposure or between individuals. Person-to-person transmission of hantavirus is rare but has been documented with the Andes virus found in South America. Both the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have said the risk to the general public is low.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses carried mainly by rodents. People become infected by breathing in the virus from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, often in enclosed spaces. The disease takes two main forms. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is more common in Europe and Asia and has a mortality rate of 5 to 15 percent. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is found in the Americas and is more deadly, with a fatality rate between 35 and 50 percent. There is currently no specific treatment for hantavirus infection. Medical care focuses on supportive measures such as oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care.
The WHO has classified hantavirus as a possible Disease X pathogen, meaning it has the potential to cause a serious international epidemic. In 2024, the U.S. National Institutes of Health listed hantaviruses among several virus families of special concern because they have no effective vaccines or treatments. These designations have driven increased funding and research into vaccine development.
Health authorities continue to investigate the MV Hondius outbreak. Coordinated response measures are underway with involvement from Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The ship is currently moored off the coast of Cabo Verde. Public health officials stress that the risk to the general population remains low.