The 2026 hantavirus outbreak traces back to Argentina, where the rare Andes strain has circulated since mid-2025. Three deaths and a growing case list now span at least eight countries after a cruise ship carried infected passengers from Ushuaia to Cabo Verde, with onward illness reported in Switzerland and South Africa.
Also read: Hantavirus in South Africa: NSPCA appeals for calm as case confirmed
Where the hantavirus outbreak started
The current hantavirus outbreak began in Argentina. The country has reported a sustained Andes virus outbreak since July 2025, with at least 20 deaths recorded by January 2026. Health officials believe the cruise ship index cases, a Dutch couple, contracted the virus during a bird-watching trip near Ushuaia in Patagonia before boarding the MV Hondius on 20 March 2026. Andes virus is endemic to southern Argentina and Chile.
How hantavirus is spreading
Hantaviruses normally spread through contact with rodent urine, droppings or saliva, or by inhaling aerosolised dust from contaminated environments. The Andes strain is the exception. It can pass between people through close contact, usually in households or hospital wards. The MV Hondius cluster is the first hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship and the first in which onboard human-to-human transmission is being investigated. The World Health Organization rates the global risk as low.
Countries with confirmed or linked cases
The MV Hondius carried 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries when the cluster was identified off Cabo Verde in early May 2026. Authorities in Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and the United Kingdom are leading the response. Confirmed or linked cases include:
- Argentina: source of the ongoing Andes virus outbreak
- Cabo Verde: cruise ship anchored offshore for evacuation and testing
- Netherlands: a Dutch couple died after exposure
- Germany: one fatal case
- Switzerland: a Zurich hospital admission after the passenger returned home
- United Kingdom: a patient evacuated for intensive care
- South Africa: hosting the British patient in ICU
The South African connection
South Africa is one of five States Parties coordinating the response. A British passenger remains in intensive care at a South African hospital after being evacuated from the cruise ship. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has not flagged community transmission. The Department of Health is monitoring exposed travellers through standard port-of-entry surveillance.
What hantavirus does to the body
Hantavirus infection causes two main syndromes. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, linked to the Andes strain and other American hantaviruses, attacks the lungs and can be fatal in up to four out of every ten cases. Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, linked to European and Asian strains, attacks the kidneys. Symptoms start with fever, muscle aches and fatigue, then progress to respiratory or kidney failure. There is no licensed vaccine and no specific antiviral treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Is hantavirus in South Africa?
South Africa has previously reported isolated cases tied to imported rodent exposure. There is no evidence of community transmission in 2026. The British patient in a South African ICU was infected aboard the MV Hondius, not locally.
Can hantavirus spread person to person?
Most hantavirus strains cannot. The Andes strain identified in the 2026 cruise ship outbreak is the only known exception and can spread through close contact in rare cases.
How deadly is the Andes strain?
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome caused by the Andes strain carries a fatality rate of roughly 30 to 40 percent. Early hospital admission and respiratory support improve survival.
What should travellers to South America do?
Avoid contact with rodents and rodent droppings, ventilate cabins or sheds before entering, and seek medical attention quickly if respiratory symptoms develop within six weeks of return.
Related on Nuusflits
- Hantavirus in South Africa: NSPCA appeals for calm as case confirmed
- Cape Town approves record R6.8 billion safety budget for 2026/27
- DA backs Western Cape’s NHI Constitutional Court challenge
Sources
- World Health Organization, Disease Outbreak News, May 2026
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, cruise ship cluster assessment, May 2026
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, statement on multi-country hantavirus cluster, May 2026
