Cruise ship hantavirus outbreak kills three across multiple countries

The World Health Organization declared a hantavirus outbreak over on 3 July 2026, after cases were linked to a cruise ship that left Argentina in early April. Thirteen passengers on the MV Hondius contracted Andes virus during a bird-watching trip through South America, and three of them died. Scientists believe the initial infections came from contact with infected rodents on land. Andes virus is unusual because, unlike other hantaviruses, it can pass directly from person to person. When the ship docked in the Canary Islands in May, passengers flew home to countries around the world. Health authorities then tracked more than 650 people across 33 countries for up to 42 days. The last person in quarantine tested negative and was cleared in early July.