![Le MV Hondius, navire battant pavillon néerlandais, navigue dans l'océan Atlantique près de l'île de Sainte-Hélène le 24 avril 2026. [Emin Yogurtcuoglu / ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/131819374/57edc4aa473a693efb6d97dd8fd8bae4799bace78502f63559f9e75359bdd6cd)
![Le MV Hondius. [AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/131843346/65d8fb2abdf636a5b804ccee1160255d52be4ca2384d1381f5b79dc752c8484c)
Overview
- The Dutch‑flagged MV Hondius, which left Cape Verde on Wednesday, is due in Tenerife over the weekend with disembarkation and repatriation set to start Monday.
- The outbreak has caused three passenger deaths, and several suspected or confirmed cases were airlifted to hospitals in the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa and Switzerland.
- Testing in South Africa and at the University Hospital of Geneva detected the Andes variant, the only hantavirus documented to spread between people in close, prolonged contact.
- WHO, the CDC and the European Commission rate the wider risk as low, and Spain plans medical transfers that keep passengers isolated from local residents during repatriation.
- Argentina is sending teams to Ushuaia to trap rodents and retrace the deceased travelers’ route, work meant to confirm whether infection occurred ashore before boarding.