UK advises two people from hantavirus-hit cruise ship to self‑isolate

UK health authorities advised two people to self-isolate after returning from the cruise ship MV Hondius following a hantavirus outbreak, while continuing to monitor other British passengers onboard. The rare virus has already caused multiple deaths and infections, prompting ongoing international health surveillance.

Chandni Shah/Reuters

7 May 2026 at 01:28:20

UK advises two people from hantavirus-hit cruise ship to self‑isolate

A person in protective clothing walks next to an ambulance during an evacuation operation of suspected hantavirus patients, following an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, in Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.

Danilson Sequeira/Reuters

British health authorities said on Wednesday they had advised two people to self‑isolate after they had returned to Britain from a luxury cruise ship hit by an outbreak of hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly disease.

The UK Health Security Agency also said that none of the British citizens onboard the MV Hondius had reported symptoms, but added they were being closely monitored.

The MV Hondius, with nearly 150 people on board, is expected to dock in Spain's Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, within three days, Spain's health minister said earlier in the day.

Three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - have died in the outbreak. Eight people - including a Swiss citizen who has returned home and is being treated in Zurich - are suspected to have contracted the virus, with three of them confirmed by laboratory testing, according to the World Health Organization.

-Chandni Shah/Reuters