Two Indian nationals are among the crew members aboard the Dutch expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, which is currently at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people and infected at least five others. The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed from Ushuaia on April 1 and is scheduled to reach Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10, according to reports.

The outbreak has raised international concern because one of the detected strains, the Andes hantavirus, is known to be the only variant with documented cases of limited human-to-human transmission. Around 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were onboard the vessel, including travellers from the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and India. Health authorities are now tracking passengers who disembarked during the voyage and monitoring those who may have been exposed onboard.

According to reports, five of eight suspected cases have tested positive for hantavirus, and three deaths have been confirmed so far. Among the deceased were a 69-year-old Dutch woman, her German co-passenger, and the woman’s Dutch husband, who reportedly died onboard before his body was later removed at Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. Officials said the situation is being treated as a serious but contained outbreak.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that the outbreak is not comparable to COVID-19 or influenza, stressing that hantavirus spreads in a very different manner. WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said precautions were taken onboard, including mask usage for all passengers and higher-grade protective equipment for those treating suspected cases. She emphasised that the overall public health risk remains low despite the severity of the incident.

Health authorities have launched extensive contact tracing operations across multiple countries, focusing on passengers who left the ship during stopovers, including 29 individuals who disembarked at Saint Helena on April 24. Investigators are using RT-PCR testing, antibody analysis, and genomic sequencing to determine the exact chain of transmission and whether infections occurred onboard or prior to boarding.

While global health agencies continue to monitor the situation, the presence of Indian crew members has drawn attention in India as part of the wider international response. Officials say the MV Hondius case is one of the most closely watched hantavirus outbreaks in recent years, prompting coordinated action between maritime authorities, epidemiologists, and national health agencies across several countries.

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