This is the third Disease Outbreak News report on the hantavirus cluster, following the notification to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 2 May 2026 of severe respiratory illness cases aboard MV Hondius, a cruise ship. Since the last DON was published on 8 May, two additional confirmed cases were reported from France and Spain. In addition, there is one inconclusive result for a case in the United States of America. All were passengers on the ship. As of 13 May, a total of 11 cases, including three deaths, have been reported (case fatality ratio 27%). Eight cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus (ANDV) infection, two are probable, and one case remains inconclusive and undergoing further testing. Through the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) channels, National IHR Focal Points (NFPs) have all been informed and are supporting international contact tracing efforts. WHO has assessed the risk posed by this event to the global population as low and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment as needed.
This is the third Disease Outbreak News report on the hantavirus cluster, following the notification to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 2 May 2026 of severe respiratory illness cases aboard MV Hondius, a cruise ship.
Since the last DON was published on 8 May, two additional confirmed cases were reported from France and Spain.
In addition, there is one inconclusive result for a case in the United States of America.
As of 13 May, a total of 11 cases, including three deaths, have been reported (case fatality ratio 27%).
Eight cases were laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus (ANDV) infection, two are probable, and one case remains inconclusive and undergoing further testing.
Through the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) channels, National IHR Focal Points (NFPs) have all been informed and are supporting international contact tracing efforts.
WHO has assessed the risk posed by this event to the global population as low and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment as needed.
On 2 May 2026, WHO received notification from the IHR NFP of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereafter referred to as the United Kingdom) regarding a cluster of severe acute respiratory illness, including two deaths and one critically ill passenger, aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hon...
As of 13 May, a total of 11 cases (eight confirmed, one inconclusive and two probable cases), including three deaths (two confirmed and one probable), have been reported.
Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 8 May, two additional confirmed cases and one inconclusive case have been reported among passengers.
These are one confirmed case from France, who became symptomatic during repatriation, one confirmed case from Spain, tested upon arrival following repatriation but currently well and asymptomatic, and one case considered inconclusive.
The latter was repatriated to the United States of America, is currently asymptomatic with inconclusive laboratory results (one positive and one negative result from two different laboratories), and is being retested.
The individual was sampled due to high-risk exposure to confirmed cases on board.
The health significance of the development depends on confirmed data, public advisories and the response of medical or public-health authorities. Any claim involving risk to patients, medicines, outbreaks or hospital systems should be read alongside official guidance.
For India and other large public systems, such updates are useful when they connect global or national figures with practical questions of access, affordability, prevention, district readiness and communication to vulnerable groups.
