Get you up to speed: WHO says 12th person infected with hantavirus detected in the Netherlands
A Dutch crew member has tested positive for hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, bringing the total cases to 12. The individual is currently in isolation and receiving treatment in hospital in the Netherlands.
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported that the crew member who tested positive for hantavirus had been taken to hospital and is currently in isolation. Authorities are monitoring over 600 contacts across 30 countries, while testing continues weekly for those evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship.
The World Health Organization’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called on countries to monitor passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship and to “move carefully for the remainder of the quarantine period.” The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) confirmed that the infected crew member has been hospitalised, while maintaining that the chance of further spread in the Netherlands remains “very small.”
What remains unclear — It is still unknown how the hantavirus was introduced to the MV Hondius cruise ship.
WHO reports 12th hantavirus case in the Netherlands linked to MV Hondius
News|HealthWHO says 12th person infected with hantavirus detected in the Netherlands
WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged all countries to monitor passengers who were on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Personnel in personal protection equipment suits gather onboard the Dutch Hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius in the port of Rotterdam on May 19, 2026 [AFP]
The World Health Organization has urged countries to continue monitoring passengers for hantavirus after a case was detected among a Dutch crew member of the ship at the centre of the outbreak.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO chief, told a news conference in Geneva on Friday that he urges all countries to monitor the passengers who were on board the MV Hondius cruise ship and “move carefully for the remainder of the quarantine period”.
Tedros said a Dutch crew member had tested positive and was now in isolation, taking the total positive cases to 12.
So far, three people have died due to the virus.
Tedros reiterated that no deaths have been reported since May 2, when the outbreak was first reported to the WHO.
“More than 600 contacts continue to be followed in 30 countries, and a small number of high-risk contacts are still being located,” he added.
Dutch authorities also confirmed that the infected crew member had been taken to hospital.
“The Andes virus has been detected in one person who was in quarantine in the Netherlands. The patient has since been admitted to the hospital as a precaution and is in isolation,” said the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
“The RIVM understands that this news may raise questions or concerns. However, the chance of further spread in the Netherlands remains very small,” the statement said.
According to the RIVM, everyone who had evacuated from the Dutch-flagged ship to the Netherlands is tested every week, and two separate laboratories confirmed the positive test.
It added that the person who had tested positive had been isolating at home.
The initial cruise ship had departed on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina, before heading to Cape Verde and then Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.
While the WHO is investigating how the virus got on board the ship, it is believed that the first person to contract it could have been exposed to rodents during a bird-watching expedition.
While rodents spread hantavirus, the Andes strain is the only known strain capable of spreading from human to human.