Four Canadians on cruise ship that was hit by suspected hantavirus outbreak: firm

By: Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press Posted:

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OTTAWA - There are four Canadians on board a cruise ship where a suspected hantavirus outbreak has killed three passengers.

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OTTAWA – There are four Canadians on board a cruise ship where a suspected hantavirus outbreak has killed three passengers.

The MV Hondius was on a polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several South Atlantic islands when some passengers started experiencing symptoms.

Hantavirus is a rodent-borne illness spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, and the World Health Organization says the rare virus can spread between people.

The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Arilson Almeida)
The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Arilson Almeida)

Oceanwide Expeditions today published a list of the nationalities of people on board the ship, including four passengers who are Canadian.

The company says two crew members currently require medical attention and nobody else on the ship seems to be ill.

The ship is waiting for help off the shore of Cape Verde, an archipelago nation west of the African continent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press.

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Health workers get off the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people as it remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak. (Qasem Elhato via AP)
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The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Arilson Almeida)

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