2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - May 08, 2026 11:04 am IST - London Ships at dock at Granadilla port, where the MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 people, is expected to arrive within three days, Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia said, adding that those on board were not presenting any symptoms of the disease, in Granadilla de Abona, Spain, May 7, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC. The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10. About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St. Helena on April 24, according to the report. Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the U.K., 23 from the U.S., 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported. The World Health Organization said on Thursday (May 7, 2026) that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed. A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated. The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic. Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”. Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius. Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”. Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said. Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius. Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory. It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man—was taken off the vessel. Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals. Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak

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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak

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