The hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship has led the WHO to issue evacuation orders.
The UN health agency said on Tuesday, May 5, that it issued evacuation orders for two passengers aboard the MD. Honda ship, for fear that human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out.
To facilitate the evacuation of two people, WHO doctors would board the ship.
In a latest update, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at WHO, briefed the media on the hantavirus outbreak.
She said: “We know that some of the cases were in very close contact with each other and human-to-human transmission certainly cannot be ruled out, so as a precaution this is what we assume.”
So far, the hantavirus has claimed three lives and several more have fallen ill.
The deceased included a Dutch couple and a German national, while a British national is said to still be in intensive care in South Africa.
There are 150 people, including 17 American nationals, who remain stranded on the MV Hondius sailing off the coast of West Africa.
The outbreak was first reported on the Netherlands-based cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing between Argentina and Cape Verde on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
On Tuesday, May 4, a WHO official had said: “There was no need to panic and the risk to the public was low.”
