Passengers aboard the MV Hondius are revealing frightening new details about the deadly hantavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, health officials across multiple countries are now tracking possible exposure as the ship remains at sea.

What began as a dream expedition across Antarctica and remote Atlantic islands has turned into an international health scare. Passengers aboard the MV Hondius are now sharing chilling accounts of confusion, fear, and uncertainty after a deadly hantavirus outbreak unfolded during the voyage.

WHO Confirms Multiple Cases and Deaths Linked to Cruise Ship

As global health officials race to monitor possible exposure across multiple countries, new firsthand stories are painting a troubling picture of what life was really like aboard the ship before the virus was identified.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), eight cases connected to the MV Hondius have been reported so far, including three deaths. Five of those cases have already been confirmed as hantavirus.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the outbreak publicly. He explained that the strain involved is the Andes virus, which is the only known hantavirus species capable of limited person-to-person transmission through close and prolonged contact.

“While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low,” Tedros said, while also warning that more cases could still emerge due to the virus’s incubation period.

Tedros said the organization’s main focus was ensuring infected passengers received proper medical care, protecting the safety and dignity of those still aboard the ship, and limiting any further spread of the virus.

He added that the WHO was working closely with several countries under the International Health Regulations framework.

Since being alerted to the situation on Saturday, May 2, 2026, the WHO has taken several measures. These include sending an expert onto the vessel to assist with medical evaluations of passengers and crew members while collecting key information to assess possible infection risks.

The organization has since shipped 2,500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to laboratories in five countries to strengthen testing efforts. WHO is also developing protocols for the safe disembarkation and onward travel of passengers and crew.

Oceanwide Expeditions Gives an Update on Individuals Remaining Onboard

In a May 7 update, Oceanwide Expeditions stated that MV Hondius remains underway toward Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The three individuals medically transferred from the vessel remain in the care of medical professionals.

The company said no symptomatic individuals are currently on board. They also confirmed that medical personnel working alongside the WHO, Dutch authorities, and Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, remain on the ship to monitor passengers and crew.

The vessel is provisionally expected to arrive in Tenerife on May 10, though plans remain subject to change as quarantine and screening procedures are finalized for all guests. The company is in communication with relevant authorities regarding their exact point of arrival and a precise timeline.

Oceanwide Expeditions also clarified that once passengers disembark, local authorities — not the company — will oversee testing, medical screening, and onward travel arrangements.

How the Outbreak May Have Started

According to the WHO, hantavirus is most commonly transmitted through exposure to infected rodent droppings, particularly when contaminated particles are inhaled. Although person-to-person transmission is possible, the agency noted that such cases are uncommon.

Meanwhile, health authorities across Europe and Africa are working to trace individuals who may have come into contact with passengers who disembarked earlier during the voyage.

The ship had set sail from South America on April 1 and was scheduled to stop in Antarctica as well as several isolated islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Investigators are still trying to determine exactly how the virus first made its way onto the MV Hondius.

Argentine officials believe a Dutch couple may have contracted the virus before boarding the cruise while bird-watching in Ushuaia, Argentina. The couple reportedly visited a landfill during the excursion, where they may have been exposed to infected rodents.

Doctor on Vacation Suddenly Became the Ship’s Physician

Passengers aboard the MV Hondius have begun sharing their experiences and personal accounts as the situation on the vessel continues to unfold. One of the most dramatic accounts came from Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, an Oregon physician who boarded the ship expecting a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Instead, he found himself treating sick passengers after the ship’s own doctor became infected with hantavirus. Kornfeld explained, “I sort of fell into the role of becoming the ship doctor.” He said he first stepped in after hearing a 70-year-old Dutch passenger had become ill. That passenger later died aboard the ship on April 11.

“Over 12 to 24 hours, it became clear that there were a number of people sick and they were getting sicker,” Kornfeld recalled.

Kornfeld said the deceased man’s wife also began experiencing “non-specific symptoms,” including “a lot of confusion, a lot of weakness.” She was evacuated from the ship but later died in a hospital in Johannesburg while attempting to travel home.

Kornfeld added that two other patients, including the ship’s doctor, “had a lot of standard viral symptoms,” including “a lot of fever, fatigue, flushing, some GI (gastrointestinal) issues, some shortness of breath.”

He described the frightening progression of the illness, saying, “At the time, neither one of them looked critically ill. But the fear with hantavirus is you can go from seriously ill to critically ill very quickly.”

U.S. Politician Raises Concerns About Americans on the Ship

Kornfeld’s statement has also sparked political concern in the United States. Representative Janelle Bynum shared a video on X saying that she spoke directly with the doctor, who is one of her constituents.

According to Bynum, Kornfeld confirmed the ship’s original doctor became infected, forcing him to step into the role. She also said there are 17 Americans still aboard the vessel who have not received guidance about how they will safely return home.

Bynum criticized the federal response, saying she had contacted Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya< regarding plans for those passengers.

Passengers Say They Did Not Initially Realize the Danger

Meanwhile, more passengers aboard the vessel are sharing their experiences so far. They say they were initially given little indication that a dangerous infectious outbreak could be underway. In an interview, Irish passenger Ann Lane said many travelers believed the first death had been an isolated incident.

“We initially thought this man may have just died in his cabin, perhaps suddenly,” she explained. “Nobody really expected anything [else to happen] after this poor man had died.”

Lane revealed the man’s body reportedly remained on the ship for several days before the vessel reached Saint Helena. His wife later disembarked there before dying herself. Now stranded offshore after Cape Verde reportedly refused to allow the vessel to dock, Lane described the tense atmosphere onboard.

Lane also said the trip was originally expected to end with her flying from Cape Verde to Lisbon before continuing on to Dublin. However, passengers are reportedly not being permitted to enter Cape Verde. “We can’t really do anything at the moment, so it’s a case of ‘hang in there,’ and the company will sort everything out,” she said.

Former Passenger Claims Warnings Came Too Late

Another former passenger who left the ship earlier in the voyage also criticized how the situation was handled. In an Instagram post, the traveler shared video footage of the ship’s captain saying, “One of our passengers suddenly passed away last night.”

The captain went on to inform guests that they did not believe he died from something infectious. The blogger later argued the outbreak was treated too casually in the early days.

According to the passenger, people continued eating together and socializing normally after the first death. The traveler said they wished quarantine measures and blood testing had been introduced earlier.

The former passenger also noted that the vessel continued sailing for another 11 days after they disembarked, while additional deaths occurred before hantavirus became the leading concern.

Countries Across the World Are Monitoring Possible Spread

The outbreak’s international reach has triggered monitoring efforts across at least 12 countries. Health officials in Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States are all tracking individuals who left the ship before cases were confirmed.

Five U.S. states are also monitoring former passengers for symptoms, including Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and California. So far, officials say none of the monitored individuals are showing signs of illness.

Trump Says Officials Hope the Situation Is ‘Under Control’

President Donald Trump was also questioned about the outbreak this week. Speaking to reporters at Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool, Trump said officials were closely monitoring the situation.

“It’s very much, we hope, under control. It was the ship, and I think we’re going to make a full report about it tomorrow. We have a lot of people; it’s a lot of great people that are studying it, and it should be fine. We hope,” he shared.

When asked whether Americans should worry about the wider spread of the virus, the president responded, “I hope not, I mean I hope not. We’ll do the best we can.”

For passengers still aboard the MV Hondius, however, the uncertainty continues. What was once marketed as an unforgettable expedition has now become something very different — a voyage watched closely by health agencies around the world.