Donald Trump offered a brief, characteristically casual response when asked about the unfolding crisis. "It should be fine, we hope," the US President told reporters, adding that American authorities were expected to release a full report by Friday. "A lot of great people are studying it," he said, after confirming he had been briefed on the situation.
It's a rare moment where a virus outbreak on a European-flagged expedition vessel has drawn comment from the White House a reflection of just how much international attention this case has attracted in a short span of time.
How the Outbreak Unfolded
The MV Hondius set sail from Argentina on April 1, charting a course toward Cape Verde. What started as a scenic expedition through some of the world's most remote stretches of ocean took a dark turn when passengers began falling ill.
Health investigators have since traced the likely source of the outbreak to a birdwatching excursion in Argentina that two passengers participated in before boarding the ship. Hantavirus and specifically the Andes variant linked to this cluster is typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, making outdoor wildlife activities a plausible point of exposure.
Three people have died in connection with the outbreak, and multiple others have required urgent hospital care across different countries.
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British Nationals Among Those Most Affected
Among the confirmed cases, the UK has been particularly hard hit. Martin Anstee, 56, was airlifted off the vessel on Wednesday and transferred to a specialist medical facility in the Netherlands. Another British passenger believed to be a 69-year-old man was taken to a private hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, as far back as April 27.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed on Friday that a third British national is now a suspected case, though this individual is not aboard the ship. They are currently on Tristan da Cunha, the famously isolated South Atlantic island, and remain there for the time being.
The Foreign Office has confirmed it is arranging a dedicated charter flight to bring back the British passengers who are not showing symptoms, once the ship docks at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife.
WHO and ECDC Move Quickly
The World Health Organisation has not been sitting on the sidelines. Two doctors infectious disease specialists drawn from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have already boarded the MV Hondius to carry out a full medical assessment of everyone on board.
WHO's Dr Maria Van Kerkhove offered some cautious optimism during a briefing. The patient in South Africa, she said, is showing signs of improvement, while the two individuals in the Netherlands are in a stable condition. "That is actually very good news," she noted.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the public risk remains low at this stage, but struck a careful note of warning. Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, he said, additional cases could still emerge. However, another official was quick to clarify that the situation is not expected to escalate into a wider epidemic.
What Happens Next
All eyes are now on Tenerife, where the ship is due to arrive in the early hours of Sunday. Once it docks, a full evacuation process will begin with healthy British passengers expected to be flown home via the charter flight being coordinated by the Foreign Office.
For those still battling the illness in hospitals abroad, the road to recovery will likely be longer. Hantavirus, particularly the Andes strain, can cause severe respiratory complications and requires careful monitoring in specialist facilities.
The wider investigation into how the virus spread aboard the ship and exactly what happened during that Argentine birdwatching trip is still ongoing. A full report from US health authorities was expected to be published on Friday, which may shed more light on the timeline and transmission chain.
For now, the priority remains getting passengers safely off the vessel and ensuring those who are sick continue to receive the specialist care they need.
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