Swiss health authorities confirmed on Wednesday that a man who recently returned from a trip to South America aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus. He is being treated at the University Hospital Zurich and is in stable condition, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
The man had traveled on the Dutch-flagged vessel before it became stranded off the coast of West Africa due to a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people. He left the ship during a stop in St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic, and flew back to Switzerland with his wife at the end of April. Shortly after arriving home he began to feel unwell and sought medical care. A laboratory test at Geneva University Hospitals confirmed he had contracted the Andes strain of hantavirus.
Swiss officials said the man was immediately isolated upon arriving at the hospital. His wife has shown no symptoms but entered precautionary self-isolation. Cantonal authorities are tracking whether the patient had contact with others before his diagnosis. The FOPH said further cases in Switzerland are unlikely and described the risk to the public as low. Switzerland typically records between zero and six hantavirus cases each year, and most are linked to infections acquired abroad, according to government data.
The Swiss case is the first time a former Hondius passenger has tested positive after returning to mainland Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the man responded to an email alert from the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, and then went to the hospital.
The MV Hondius has been at the center of an international health response for several days. The ship, which carries about 150 passengers and crew, left Argentina on April 1 and sailed toward Antarctica before crossing the Atlantic. Three passengers have died since early April: a Dutch couple and a German national. A British passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, but his condition is reported to be improving.
The WHO said Wednesday that eight cases of hantavirus have been linked to the outbreak. Three of those have been confirmed by laboratory testing. South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases identified the Andes strain in two passengers evacuated from the ship. Geneva University Hospitals confirmed the same strain in the Swiss patient.
The Andes strain is rare because it is the only hantavirus known to spread between humans, though transmission requires very close contact. WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters earlier this week that human-to-human spread can occur through sharing a bed or food, but it does not spread easily like influenza or COVID-19. In most cases hantavirus is caught by breathing in particles from rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. The WHO has repeatedly stated the overall public health risk remains low.
On Wednesday, three passengers with suspected hantavirus were evacuated from the ship and flown to the Netherlands for treatment. Two had acute symptoms and were in serious condition. The third was not showing symptoms but was a close contact of the German passenger who died on May 2. Among those evacuated was the ship’s doctor, though his condition had improved enough that he could be sent home, Spain’s health ministry said.
The ship has been stuck off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation off West Africa, since authorities there refused to let it dock because of the outbreak. Late Tuesday, Spain’s national government agreed to accept the vessel at the port of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, citing international law and humanitarian duties. However, Fernando Clavijo, the regional president of the Canary Islands, objected to the plan. He said there was not enough information to guarantee public safety. He requested an urgent meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Spain’s central government has the final say.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it is working with the WHO and Dutch authorities to coordinate medical care for British nationals evacuated from the ship. British passengers who are not showing symptoms can return home once the ship docks, but they will be asked to isolate and undergo regular testing. The UKHSA said the risk to the British public is very low.
The Hondius is operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, a Dutch company that runs long polar cruises. The ship was built in Croatia and launched in 2018. It can hold up to 196 passengers and 72 crew. The current voyage was scheduled to last more than a month and included stops in remote South Atlantic locations. Passengers on board have been told to limit close contact, wear masks, and use hand sanitizer. Some have described the mood as calm but tense.
The WHO is coordinating contact tracing across several countries, including Cape Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The agency stressed that travelers and the general public face minimal danger from this outbreak. No travel restrictions have been recommended.