Hantavirus Outbreak Leaves British Passengers Scrambling Home

In a unfolding health scare at sea, a third British national is now under suspicion for hantavirus after an alarming cluster of cases struck the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius in the remote Atlantic.

The latest patient remains on the windswept island of Tristan da Cunha, where the vessel made a stop in mid-April. Meanwhile, two other British men have already tested positive. One is recovering in stable condition in a Dutch hospital after being airlifted from the ship earlier this week, while the second is fighting in intensive care in South Africa following his evacuation last month.

So far, five people have confirmed cases of the virus — including one of the three passengers who tragically died during the voyage. The MV Hondius is now steaming toward the Canary Islands, where a chartered flight will whisk remaining British passengers and crew back to the UK. Though none of those still aboard are showing symptoms, they’ll face a mandatory 45-day isolation period upon landing.

Among those affected is 56-year-old Martin Anstee, a retired British police officer working as an expedition guide. He was evacuated to the Netherlands alongside a Dutch crew member and a German passenger. Speaking from his hospital bed, Anstee told the BBC he was feeling “fine.”

A 69-year-old British passenger is in more serious condition in South Africa, though officials say he is showing signs of improvement. Separately, two other Britons who left the ship earlier are already voluntarily isolating at home in the UK with no symptoms.

The drama began when a group of 30 passengers from multiple countries — including seven Britons — disembarked at St Helena on April 24. Four British nationals from that group are still on the island, symptom-free but under close watch by local health authorities. Medical support is reportedly being dispatched to the remote outpost.

The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, noted that the first confirmed case only surfaced on May 4, after which all former guests were contacted. International contact tracing is now active in countries including Switzerland and the Netherlands.

The World Health Organization has described the situation as a “serious incident” but moved quickly to calm fears, stressing that the risk to the general public remains low and bears no resemblance to the COVID-19 pandemic. The source of the outbreak is still a mystery. Officials have not ruled out the possibility that people outside the ship’s passengers and crew could be affected.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus revealed that the initial cases involved travelers who had been on a bird-watching tour through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, visiting areas inhabited by rodents known to carry the virus.

The fatalities include a 69-year-old Dutch woman who disembarked at St Helena and died in South Africa days later. Her husband passed away on board the ship on April 11, and a German woman also died aboard. Neither of the latter two has been confirmed to have had hantavirus.

While the virus is typically spread through contact with rodents like rats and mice, experts suspect human-to-human transmission may have played a role here due to the close quarters on the vessel. Symptoms — fever, crushing fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, and breathing difficulties — can take two to four weeks to appear after exposure.