St Kitts and Nevis citizen among passengers on Hantavirus affected cruise

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) —  The St Kitts and Nevis Government says one citizen of the twin-island federation was among the passengers aboard the vessel MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the centre of an international outbreak of Hantavirus.

In a statement acknowledging that the citizen is present on the vessel, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer in the country noted that “there are currently no reported or suspected cases of Hantavirus in St Kitts and Nevis”.

Basseterre said it was issuing the advisory to provide timely information to the public, encourage awareness of preventive measures, and reassure residents that the overall public health risk remains low.

It said that the MV Hondius departed Argentina on April 1, 2026, carrying passengers and crew from 28 countries, including one citizen of St Kitts and Nevis.

As of Friday, the British government said a third British national has suspected hantavirus and is currently on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the ship stopped in mid-April.

Two other British men have confirmed cases – one remains in a stable condition in the Netherlands after being evacuated from the ship on Wednesday, while the other remains in intensive care after being flown to South Africa last month.

Five cases of hantavirus have been confirmed, including one of the three passengers on the cruise who died.

Hantavirus is a serious zoonotic disease transmitted to humans through contact with the urine, faeces, or saliva of infected rodents, particularly mice and rats. Infection may occur when contaminated particles from rodent nesting materials become airborne and are subsequently inhaled by humans.

The South African Health Ministry has confirmed that the Andes strain of the Hantavirus was identified in two confirmed cases linked to this outbreak.

The Andes strain of this virus, which is present in South America, is of particular concern because, unlike most Hantavirus strains, it has demonstrated the potential for person-to-person transmission through prolonged and very close contact with symptomatic individuals.

Hantavirus infection is highly fatal, and can result in severe respiratory illness known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a condition characterized by fever, muscle aches, cough, shortness of breath, and rapidly progressive respiratory failure.

Hantavirus also causes hemorrhagic fever and kidney disease. Persons can protect themselves from this virus by avoiding rodent-infested areas without appropriate protection, including wearing face masks and using gloves and disinfectants when cleaning rodent-infested areas to avoid aerosolizing the virus.

“At present, there are no reported or suspected cases of Hantavirus within the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the current public health risk associated with Hantavirus as low.

“The Ministry of Health of St Kitts and Nevis will continue to closely monitor developments related to this outbreak and maintain ongoing surveillance and collaboration with regional and international public health partners,” the Office of the Chief Medical Officer said in the statement.