A British crew member aboard the MV Hondius is to be medically evacuated after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the luxury cruise ship killed three people and left several others seriously ill. The World Health Organization has said the virus may have spread between close contacts on board, a mode of transmission that is rare and has heightened concern among international health authorities monitoring the situation.

Seven suspected cases have been identified among the 147 passengers and crew, who come from 23 countries. Three people have died. Two cases have been confirmed as hantavirus. The British crew member and a Dutch colleague are being prepared for evacuation via Cape Verde to the Netherlands, allowing the vessel to continue its journey. A separate British passenger, evacuated to Johannesburg on 27 April, remains in intensive care but is understood to be improving. Those still on board have been asked to stay in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out.

The ship is now heading to the Canary Islands, where Spain has agreed to receive it within three to four days. The Spanish health ministry confirmed that all passengers and crew will be examined, treated, and repatriated to their home countries upon arrival, with the operation being coordinated alongside the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO. The original plan to dock at Cape Verde was abandoned after it became clear the archipelago could not manage the full scale of the operation.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, addressed the situation directly on Tuesday. She said the organisation believed human-to-human transmission had likely occurred among very close contacts on board, specifically citing couples and those sharing cabins. She also spoke to those still on the ship. "We just want you to know we are working with the ship's operators," she said. "We hear you, we know that you are scared." Testing is continuing to identify the specific strain involved. The Andes variant, which circulates in South America, is considered a likely candidate given that the ship departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina in March.

The deaths unfolded over several weeks. A Dutch passenger died on board on 11 April. His wife died on 27 April and was subsequently confirmed to have tested positive for a hantavirus variant. A German passenger died on 2 May, though the cause of his death has not yet been officially confirmed. One further suspected case has been identified in a person who is currently asymptomatic and reported to be doing well.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government was working to ensure the safe onward travel of British nationals on board. There are 19 British passengers and four British crew members on the vessel. Foreign Office consular teams have been deployed in the UK, South Africa, Spain, and Portugal, and officials said they were in contact with the family of the British passenger currently hospitalised in Johannesburg. Starmer posted on X: "My thoughts are with those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius."

Hantavirus is typically contracted through contact with infected rodents, or their urine, droppings, or saliva. It can cause severe respiratory illness and can be fatal. There is no specific treatment or cure, though patients who receive medical attention early have better prospects of survival. Human-to-human transmission is unusual, but has been documented in previous outbreaks involving the Andes strain.

The ship is expected to reach port within days. International health authorities say there are no additional symptomatic individuals on board at present, though monitoring is ongoing. For the passengers and crew still at sea, the priority is straightforward: get to port, get screened, and get home.