Hantavirus: Confirmed cases by nationality

Below is a summary of the countries that have confirmed or probable cases of hantavirus-infected citizens following the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, according to the World Health Organization.

According to the U.N.’s top health agency and some national health authorities, eight cases have been confirmed and two are listed as "probable," affecting citizens of six countries.

Three people have died; two of them tested positive for hantavirus and one is a probable case.

According to health authorities, other suspected cases and possible close contacts of the infected people are being investigated.

United States

One of the 17 U.S. citizens repatriated from the ship tested PCR-positive for the virus, with a mild result, while another had mild symptoms, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said May 10.

Netherlands

Two Dutch nationals who were traveling on the ship died from the virus, and one of them was confirmed to have contracted the disease.

A Dutch couple who had traveled in South America before boarding in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, were the first fatalities.

The husband, 70, developed symptoms on April 6 and died on April 11. His body was taken off the ship during its stopover on St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic, between April 22 and 24.

He was not tested for hantavirus and, according to the WHO, is considered a "probable case."

His wife, 69, also left the ship in St. Helena when she felt unwell. Her health deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg on April 25, and she died in hospital a day later, after a hantavirus diagnosis was confirmed on May 4.

United Kingdom

Two British citizens have been confirmed infected and one of them is classified as a "probable" case.

A British citizen fell ill on April 24 with symptoms of fever and pneumonia, and three days later was evacuated from Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean, where he was admitted to intensive care.

On May 2, the presence of hantavirus was confirmed in his case, and the Andean strain was confirmed by sequencing.

A second British national working as a guide on the ship developed symptoms on April 27 and tested positive on May 6. He was evacuated.

He was evacuated to the Netherlands on May 7 from Cape Verde and his condition was stable while receiving treatment in isolation.

A third British national left the Hondius on April 14 in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic and was treated there in isolation. 

He developed symptoms on April 28. WHO listed him as a "probable case" pending laboratory results.

British paratroopers and medical personnel landed on the island to deliver urgent medical supplies to him, ministers said.

Germany

A German woman who developed a fever on April 28 and subsequently developed pneumonia, died on May 2 aboard ship.

Along with the evacuated patients, a post-mortem specimen was sent to the Netherlands, where tests confirmed infection with the Andes virus.

Her body remained aboard the Hondius, which was scheduled to sail for the Netherlands from the Spanish island of Tenerife late Monday.

Switzerland

A Swiss national disembarked from the Hondius in St. Helena on April 22 and flew to Switzerland on April 27 via South Africa and Qatar.

He began showing symptoms on May 1 after arrival in Switzerland. He was treated in isolation and tested positive for the Andes virus on May 5.

France

A French woman repatriated from Hondius felt unwell late on May 10 and tested positive for hantavirus, French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said.