Andes hantavirus outbreak in cruise ship, 21 May 2026

On 2 May 2026, ECDC was notified of a cluster of severe respiratory illness on MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship with passengers and crew from 23 countries, including nine EU/EEA countries. The virus has been identified as Andes hantavirus.

As of 21 May, 11 cases have been reported in total, including 9 confirmed and 2 probable cases. No new cases or deaths have been reported since the previous update.

The cruise ship M/V Hondius is currently docked in Rotterdam, the Netherlands since 18 May and ship sanitation is being carried out.

The identification of additional cases after former passengers and crew have returned to their home country is expected given the long incubation period of Andes hantavirus and the possibility that some infections occurred on board on the ship. The risk to the EU/EEA general population remains very low.

*A suspected case is a person who has been on or visited the same transport (e.g. ship or plane) where a confirmed or probable Andes hantavirus (ANDV) case was present, OR has been in contact with a passenger or crew member of the MV Hondius since 5 April, AND has a fever (currently or recently), plus at least one of the following symptoms: 

• muscle aches
• chills
• headache
• stomach problems (such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain)
• breathing problems (such as cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, or difficulty breathing)

**A probable case is a person who has the symptoms listed above, and is known to have been in contact with a confirmed or probable ANDV case

***A confirmed case is a person who meets the suspected or probable case definition, and has a laboratory test that confirms ANDV infection (PCR or antibody test)

Non-case: A non-case is a person who was initially considered a suspected or probable case, but tests negative for ANDV using laboratory tests (PCR or antibody test).