Three Passengers Pass Away, Others Ill After Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise – Who the Affected People Are and What Symptoms They Experienced

A luxury cruise through some of the world's most remote waters turned into a nightmare when passengers began falling gravely ill one by one — and by the time the ship reached Cape Verde, three people were dead.

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius has killed three people and left at least three others ill, the World Health Organisation and South Africa's Department of Health confirmed on Sunday, 3 May 2026.

The vessel, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, had departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on 20 March for a 46-day round trip that included stops in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island, with the Canary Islands as its final destination.

At the time of the outbreak, approximately 150 tourists and around 70 crew members were on board.

Who Were the Victims?

The first to die was Leo Schilperoord, 69, a biologist from Haulerwijk in the Netherlands who had studied at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

He reportedly showed the earliest symptoms of hantavirus and passed away on the ship as early as 11 April. His body was removed when the vessel docked at Saint Helena, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.

His wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, also 69, was subsequently transferred to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she died on 26 April. The childless couple were reportedly members of a local committee opposing a new residential development near their hometown.

Their deaths were confirmed by that committee as well as a neighbourhood association, which placed a notice in the local weekly newspaper De Haulerwijk.

The couple's shared love of the natural world was well-documented — they had co-authored a scientific paper as far back as 1984, studying the behaviour of Pink-footed Geese in southwest Friesland.

The identity of the third victim has not yet been released.

Those Still Fighting the Illness

A 69-year-old British national, confirmed as a hantavirus carrier, is currently receiving treatment in intensive care at a hospital in Johannesburg. He fell ill near Ascension Island, after the ship had left Saint Helena, and was subsequently airlifted to South Africa.

Two crew members who also developed symptoms remain on board the ship, which is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde.

Local health authorities have visited the vessel to assess both individuals, though a decision on transferring them to medical facilities on the island had not yet been made at the time of reporting.

Oceanwide Expeditions stated that its priority was ensuring the two ill crew members received proper medical care, and that the third victim's body remained on board pending arrangements.

The Ship Remains Quarantined

Cape Verde authorities have thus far not permitted anyone to disembark from the Hondius. The WHO confirmed that at least one hantavirus case had been laboratory-confirmed and stated that investigations — including further testing, virus sequencing, and epidemiological work — were ongoing.

South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases has also launched contact tracing in the Johannesburg area to determine whether anyone who came into contact with infected passengers on shore may have been exposed.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a rare, rodent-borne illness transmitted primarily through contact with infected rodents or their urine, saliva, or droppings — particularly when disturbed material becomes airborne.

People are most commonly exposed in poorly ventilated spaces such as cabins, sheds, or storage areas. While person-to-person transmission is possible, the WHO notes it is rare.

The illness begins with flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, muscle aches, and a headache, making it difficult to distinguish from common infections in its early stages.

As it progresses, patients may develop tightness in the chest as fluid builds up in the lungs. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the more severe respiratory form of the disease, carries a fatality rate of around 35 per cent.

A second form, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, has a lower fatality rate of between one and 15 per cent.

There is currently no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus. However, medical experts stress that early intervention can significantly improve a patient's chances of survival.

Hantavirus in the News

The outbreak comes just over a year after hantavirus made international headlines following the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Arakawa, 65, died at the couple's home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 11 February 2025 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Hackman, 95, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, died a week later from heart disease — apparently unaware that Arakawa had passed. Both deaths were ruled natural causes.

The case drew widespread attention to the virus, which, while found globally, most commonly affects people in the western United States, particularly New Mexico and Arizona.

Authorities caution that the best way to reduce the risk of hantavirus infection is to minimise contact with rodents and their droppings.

When cleaning enclosed spaces, protective gloves and a bleach solution are recommended. Sweeping or vacuuming should be avoided, as these actions can send virus particles into the air.