MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak

Two additional passengers test positive — one French national and one American — bringing total confirmed cases to seven confirmed and two probable, with ten cases including confirmed and probable combined. 16 American passengers arrive at the University of Nebraska Medical Center: 15 in the quarantine unit, one in the biocontainment unit. The American in biocontainment is asymptomatic but fatigued after the long journey. Nine additional Americans who disembarked early are being monitored across Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, and California. Spanish authorities confirm genetic analysis rules out any new mutations — the strain remains the known Andes variant.

MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, at approximately 5:30am local time. Disembarkation begins under tightly coordinated international health operation led by Spain and WHO. WHO Director-General Tedros travels to Tenerife personally to oversee the operation. Spanish Health Minister describes the planning as "unprecedented."

UK Health Security Agency reports one additional suspected case and confirms two British nationals infected. Full genome sequence of the Swiss isolate (designated ANDV/Switzerland/Hu-3337/2026) published on virological.org. WHO reports a total of eight cases: six confirmed, two probable.

WHO confirms five laboratory-confirmed cases, three suspected. A Dutch flight attendant from the April 26 Johannesburg–Amsterdam flight is admitted to Amsterdam University Medical Center — potentially the first confirmed transmission outside the ship. CDC issues a Level 3 emergency response classification. US, Singapore, and multiple European nations begin contact tracing of disembarked passengers.

Canary Islands president refuses to allow the ship to dock despite Spanish national government approval. Swiss case confirmed — a passenger who disembarked at St Helena. Three passengers including the ship's doctor are airlifted to the Netherlands for treatment. Ship departs Cape Verde for the Canary Islands.

Gene sequencing confirms the Andes strain — the only known hantavirus capable of human-to-human transmission. WHO reports seven cases: two confirmed, five suspected.

Ship docks in Praia, Cape Verde. Authorities supply medical equipment and send officials on board but refuse passenger disembarkation citing inadequate isolation facilities.

German woman dies on board — third death. Same day, hantavirus is officially confirmed for the first time in a ship passenger (the British man in South Africa). WHO is notified by UK health authorities.

German female passenger develops fever and general illness — the latest recorded symptom onset date on board.

Ship departs Ascension Island. British male passenger is medically evacuated to South Africa and admitted to ICU.

Dutch woman collapses at Johannesburg airport and dies on arrival at hospital. Later confirmed positive for Andes hantavirus by PCR. Contact tracing initiated for 82 passengers and 6 crew on her Airlink flight.

The Dutch woman deteriorates during a commercial flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ship stops at St Helena. Approximately 30–40 passengers disembark with no health screening. The Dutch man's body is removed. His wife disembarks showing gastrointestinal symptoms.

Dutch man dies on board — the first death. Captain makes an announcement to passengers stating the death is not transmissible and urging calm.

Earliest recorded illness onset among passengers, per WHO. Dutch male passenger develops fever, headache, and mild diarrhea.

MV Hondius departs Ushuaia, Argentina, carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities. Argentine authorities confirm no symptoms at departure.

Dutch couple begin a four-month road trip through Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina — the likely exposure window for the index case. They return to Argentina from Uruguay just four days before boarding.