Status note: As of the research date shown at the top of this page, ECDC’s daily surveillance page titled “Andes hantavirus outbreak in cruise ship” provides the latest ECDC case counts for the cluster, with a 26 May 2026 data cut. WHO’s fourth Disease Outbreak News report, published 28 May with data as of 27 May, provides the latest WHO outbreak narrative and risk assessment reviewed here.
What WHO reported on 4 May 2026
- WHO was notified on 2 May 2026 about a cluster of severe respiratory illness aboard a Dutch-flagged cruise ship.
- As of 4 May 2026, seven cases (two laboratory confirmed for hantavirus and five suspected) had been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient, and three people reporting mild symptoms.
- Symptom onset ranged between 6 April and 28 April 2026, with fever, gastrointestinal complaints, and rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock described for severely affected patients.
- WHO stated the ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026, carrying 147 people from 23 nationalities, followed South Atlantic routing with multiple remote stops, and as of 4 May was moored off Cabo Verde.
- WHO assessed global risk from the event as low while investigations, including sequencing, continued.
How ECDC updates refined laboratory details
- On 5 May 2026, ECDC announced two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections plus one suspected case among passengers and crew from 23 countries, with the ship off Cabo Verde.
- On 6 May 2026, ECDC’s formal assessment described seven reported cases in the cluster: three deaths, one critically ill patient medically evacuated to South Africa, two symptomatic individuals still on board, and one person diagnosed after returning to Switzerland.
- Two samples were PCR-positive for hantavirus and one additional sample PCR-positive for Andes virus, with further laboratory work ongoing.
- ECDC outlined a working hypothesis that some travelers might have been exposed before embarkation in Argentina, where Andes virus circulates, with subsequent transmission possibilities on board given the closed environment.
ECDC and WHO updates: 26-27 May 2026 snapshot
- ECDC states that its outbreak page is updated as more information becomes available and that the page was last updated 26 May 2026 at 15:00.
- As of 26 May 2026, ECDC reported thirteen cases in total, including eleven confirmed and two probable, with zero suspected cases and three deaths. ECDC noted one new case and no new deaths since the previous update.
- WHO’s fourth Disease Outbreak News report states that, as of 27 May 2026, thirteen cases had been reported, including three deaths. Eleven cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus and two were probable cases.
- WHO reported that the previously inconclusive United States case was determined to be negative after further laboratory testing and was removed from the total count on 15 May.
- WHO stated that more than 600 contacts across 32 countries, territories and areas had been identified as of 22 May 2026, with contacts under close monitoring or self-monitoring.
- ECDC assessed risk to the EU and EEA general population as very low; WHO assessed risk to the global population as low.
Official response themes
WHO listed coordinated measures among Cabo Verde, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom: sharing passenger manifests with Argentine IHR focal points, advising maximal physical distancing on board, conducting epidemiologic investigations, evacuating severely ill patients, forwarding specimens to NICD South Africa and Institut Pasteur de Dakar, and activating WHO emergency medical team discussions with the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre.
WHO passenger guidance included 45 days of active symptom monitoring, hand hygiene, damp cleaning with ventilation, self-isolation when symptomatic, masking during respiratory symptoms, and immediate clinical evaluation if illness worsens.
How this differs from routine U.S. Sin Nombre risk
Travel-associated clusters differ from the classic rural, rodent-exposure risk messaging emphasized by CDC for Sin Nombre and other North American strains. Readers concerned about everyday prevention should still prioritize CDC’s rodent exclusion and safe-cleaning guidance; travelers who were present during this voyage should rely on instructions from their health authority and WHO updates rather than unofficial summaries.