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Health authorities said three passengers from the MV Hondius had died after showing symptoms of the rare disease.
May 8, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET
Officials are investigating an outbreak of hantavirus, a rare family of viruses carried by rodents, aboard a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean.
Three passengers who were aboard the ship, the MV Hondius, have died, and five other people have shown symptoms of the rare disease, according to the World Health Organization. One of the people who died was confirmed to have the virus, as were four of the other people.
Health officials in several countries are testing people who have been on the ship or in close contact with those who were. The World Health Organization has said that the risk to the general population is low.
The vessel left the coast of West Africa on Wednesday with about 150 passengers and crew and was headed north toward the Canary Islands, where it was expected to anchor offshore and evacuate passengers.
Here’s what to know:
There is not a major risk to the wider public.
The W.H.O. has said that it assesses the risk to the global population from the outbreak as low.
“This is not the start of an epidemic — this is not the start of a pandemic,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the W.H.O.’s head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, told reporters in Geneva on Thursday.
English (US)