Passenger Sends Tearful Message From Cruise Ship Amid Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak: ‘a Lot of Uncertainty’

Three people on a luxury cruise ship have died of a suspected outbreak of the hantavirus.

The World Health Organization confirmed on Sunday, May 3, via The New York Times, that three people aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius — including a husband and wife — have died while a total of six people fell ill with the same symptoms. One of the cases was confirmed in a lab to be hantavirus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents, specifically through their urine or droppings. While not impossible, it is difficult and somewhat rare for the disease to pass from person to person. Symptoms begin as flu-like before devolving into serious respiratory issues. There is no cure for the hantavirus, so treatment is often to put the infected person on a ventilator.

The cruise ship is carrying around 150 passengers. Reuters reported on May 3 that the passengers are being held on the ship off the coast of West Africa, awaiting an evacuation plan.

“What’s happening right now is very real for all of us here,” Boston-based travel blogger Jake Rosmarin, who is aboard the ship, said in a tearful video posted on Instagram on Monday, May 4.

‘We’re not just a story,” he continued. “We’re people. People with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home. There’s a lot of uncertainty and that’s the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home…. I just ask for your kindness and understanding.”

The ship reportedly left Ushuaia in Argentina about three weeks ago, headed for the Canary Islands, stopping in mainland Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan, St. Helena, Ascension and Cape Verde. The outlet reports that the luxury cruise ship’s fares range from 14,000 to 22,000 euros (which is about $16,300 to $25,700).

Despite the urgency of the situation, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said in a statement, via NBC News, “The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”

Hantavirus was in the news last year when Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died at 65 after contracting the virus. Both she and her Oscar-winning husband were found dead in their home in 2025. According to New Mexico officals, via the The New York Times, Hackman died of heart disease, with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor, a week after Arakawa passed away.