Hantavirus Cluster Situation Report #1

Hantavirus Cluster SitRep #1.pdf

Download PDF • 134KB

Highlights:  

·       On May 2nd, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO):

o   The ship was carrying 147 passengers and crew, including 88 passengers and 59 crew. Onboard passengers and crew represent 23 nationalities. 

o   The vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1^st and followed an itinerary across the South Atlantic, with multiple stops, including mainland Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island.

o   The extent of passenger contact with local wildlife during the voyage, or prior to boarding in Ushuaia remains undetermined.

o   As of May 4^th, seven cases (two laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases) have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.

o   Human Hantavirus infection is primarily acquired through contact with the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents or by touching contaminated surfaces. Exposure typically occurs during activities such as cleaning buildings with rodent infestations, though it may also occur during routine activities in heavily infested areas.

o   The virus has been identified as Andes hantavirus, the only hantavirus which can be transmitted person-to-person, typically requiring close and prolonged contact.

o   Epidemiological investigations are underway to determine the source of exposure.

o   Hantavirus infections are relatively uncommon globally. 

·       Medical Evacuation and Status of Cases:

o   As of May 4th, the vessel is moored off the coast of Cabo Verde.

o   Three passengers with suspected cases were medically evacuated from the ship on May 6th in two different evacuation flights, with two of the passengers showing acute symptoms. One of the symptomatic individuals is the ship's doctor.

o   One of the evacuation flights carrying passengers from the cruise ship was forced to divert after being denied permission to refuel in Marrakesh, Morocco, resulting in an unscheduled stop in Gran Canaria before continuing as planned to the Netherlands via Málaga later on May 6th.

o   On May 6^th, one new confirmed case was reported in a male patient in Zürich, Switzerland, who returned from the cruise at the end of April 2026 (disembarking in Saint Helena):

ü  The patient was immediately isolated at University Hospital Zürich after developing symptoms.

ü  The patient's wife, who accompanied him on the trip, remains asymptomatic and is self-isolating as a precaution.

ü  Health authorities are investigating potential contacts during the infectious period.

·       Public Health Response Update:

o   Authorities from States Parties involved in the management of the event to date (Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and the United Kingdom) have initiated coordinated response measures.

o   As of May 6^th, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has deployed an expert from the EU Health Task Force to the cruise ship, as part of a joint effort to investigate the outbreak and coordinate the public health response.

o   WHO Emergency Medical Team (EMT) has launched formal discussions to support the clinical management and medical evacuation of symptomatic passengers.

o   Logistic support has been provided, including sample collection items.

o   Laboratory testing and confirmation have been conducted at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South Africa. Serology, sequencing and metagenomics are ongoing.

o   The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 7^th reported that they are coordinating with domestic and international partners.

Sources:

·       Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-country Disease Outbreak News, May 4^th 

·       BEACON, Follow-up on hantavirus outbreak linked to cruise ship travel

·       CDC Twitter Page 

·       European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Bluesky Page 

Resources

Hantavirus-associated cluster of illness on a cruise ship: ECDC assessment and recommendations

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/hantavirus-associated-cluster-illness-cruise-ship-ecdc-assessment-and

Factsheet on orthohantavirus infections

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/infectious-disease-topics/hantavirus-infection/factsheet-orthohantavirus-infections