India monitoring Hantavirus situation, reviewing preparedness: Health Ministry
Three people have died aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius after a rare hantavirus outbreak, with two Indian nationals still on board. Here is everything you need to know about the Andes virus and whether India is at risk.
India's Union Health Ministry is closely monitoring a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, after confirming that two Indian nationals are currently on board the vessel sailing through the Atlantic.
Both individuals are asymptomatic and are being observed in accordance with international health protocols, a senior ministry official stated on May 8, news agency ANI reported.
The ministry is coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Centre for Disease Control, and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) to track the evolving situation.
As a precautionary measure, the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre under IDSP convened a high-level review meeting involving senior officials from IDSP and India's IHR National Focal Point, the designated body that manages India's obligations under global health regulations, to assess the situation and review preparedness measures.
WHAT HAS WHO SAID ABOUT THE OUTBREAK?
According to the WHO, eight cases have been reported on board the MV Hondius so far, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three deaths.
The virus involved is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which has a limited capability for human-to-human transmission, though this generally requires close and prolonged contact.
The WHO has assessed the current global public health risk as low, while cautioning that additional cases may emerge given the relatively long incubation period, the window between infection and the appearance of symptoms, associated with hantavirus.
The WHO is coordinating the international response under the International Health Regulations framework, strengthening diagnostic support, facilitating epidemiological assessment, and ensuring safe disembarkation and onward travel arrangements for all passengers and crew.
WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS AND WHY IS THE ANDES STRAIN DANGEROUS?
Hantavirus is a family of viruses carried by rodents. Humans typically contract it by breathing in air contaminated with infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
The Andes strain is unique for it is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading between people, though only in rare cases of sustained close contact.
Once inside the body, the virus causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe lung disease that begins with fever, fatigue, and muscle aches before progressing rapidly to pneumonia and respiratory failure. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. Treatment is supportive care only.
HOW DID THE VIRUS GET ON THE SHIP?
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026.
Investigators believe the first case involved a Dutch couple who had spent four months travelling through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip, visiting areas where rodents carrying the Andes virus are endemic. The husband died on board on April 11.
His wife was evacuated to South Africa, where she died on April 26. A third passenger, a German national, died on May 2.
WHERE IS THE SHIP NOW?
The MV Hondius is currently sailing toward the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Spain, where a controlled disembarkation is being planned.
WHO has deployed an expert on board to conduct a comprehensive medical assessment of all remaining passengers and crew, and has dispatched 2,500 diagnostic kits to laboratories across five countries.
The Union Health Ministry stated it remains vigilant and is maintaining close coordination with WHO and international partners, with all necessary public health measures being undertaken proactively to safeguard the health of Indian citizens.
India's Union Health Ministry is closely monitoring a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, after confirming that two Indian nationals are currently on board the vessel sailing through the Atlantic.
Both individuals are asymptomatic and are being observed in accordance with international health protocols, a senior ministry official stated on May 8, news agency ANI reported.
The ministry is coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Centre for Disease Control, and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) to track the evolving situation.
As a precautionary measure, the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre under IDSP convened a high-level review meeting involving senior officials from IDSP and India's IHR National Focal Point, the designated body that manages India's obligations under global health regulations, to assess the situation and review preparedness measures.
WHAT HAS WHO SAID ABOUT THE OUTBREAK?
According to the WHO, eight cases have been reported on board the MV Hondius so far, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three deaths.
The virus involved is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which has a limited capability for human-to-human transmission, though this generally requires close and prolonged contact.
The WHO has assessed the current global public health risk as low, while cautioning that additional cases may emerge given the relatively long incubation period, the window between infection and the appearance of symptoms, associated with hantavirus.
The WHO is coordinating the international response under the International Health Regulations framework, strengthening diagnostic support, facilitating epidemiological assessment, and ensuring safe disembarkation and onward travel arrangements for all passengers and crew.
WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS AND WHY IS THE ANDES STRAIN DANGEROUS?
Hantavirus is a family of viruses carried by rodents. Humans typically contract it by breathing in air contaminated with infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
The Andes strain is unique for it is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading between people, though only in rare cases of sustained close contact.
Once inside the body, the virus causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe lung disease that begins with fever, fatigue, and muscle aches before progressing rapidly to pneumonia and respiratory failure. There is no vaccine. There is no cure. Treatment is supportive care only.
HOW DID THE VIRUS GET ON THE SHIP?
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026.
Investigators believe the first case involved a Dutch couple who had spent four months travelling through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay on a bird-watching trip, visiting areas where rodents carrying the Andes virus are endemic. The husband died on board on April 11.
His wife was evacuated to South Africa, where she died on April 26. A third passenger, a German national, died on May 2.
WHERE IS THE SHIP NOW?
The MV Hondius is currently sailing toward the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Spain, where a controlled disembarkation is being planned.
WHO has deployed an expert on board to conduct a comprehensive medical assessment of all remaining passengers and crew, and has dispatched 2,500 diagnostic kits to laboratories across five countries.
The Union Health Ministry stated it remains vigilant and is maintaining close coordination with WHO and international partners, with all necessary public health measures being undertaken proactively to safeguard the health of Indian citizens.
