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  "path": "/2026/06/01/can-now-travel-hantavirus-ship-a-bird-watching-trip-included-28603152/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-01T13:43:52.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "World",
    "Argentina",
    "Hantavirus",
    "Rotterdam",
    "cruise ship",
    "health",
    "13 confirmed hantavirus cases emerged from MV Hondius",
    "News Updates",
    "Breaking News",
    "German",
    "South Africa",
    "World Health Organisation",
    "Canary Islands",
    "Norway",
    "currently in quarantine",
    "Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS",
    "Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS",
    "Early symptoms of hantavirus",
    "check our news page",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "M/V Hondius has been deep-cleaned following the hantavirus outbreak (Picture: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)\n\nThe cruise ship at the centre of a rat virus outbreak that terrified the world will take to the seas again this month.\n\nMV Hondius triggered a global health scare last month when passengers began falling ill with hantavirus.\n\nThe leading theory was that the deadly illness was brought on board by two passengers birdwatching in the city of Ushuaia, Argentina.\n\nThe liner has now been deep-cleaned and is carrying tourists again, with bird spotting one of the first activities on the itinerary.\n\nA total of 13 confirmed hantavirus cases emerged from MV Hondius, resulting in three deaths.\n\nThe 7 night cruise will tour the Atlantic (Picture: Oceanwide Expeditions)\n\n##  Sign up for all of the latest stories\n\nStart your day informed with Metro's **News Updates** newsletter or get **Breaking News** alerts the moment it happens.\n\nA pair, both 69, fell ill after they visited a landfill site for birdwatching during that may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.\n\nThe couple died alongside a German national, with a Brit taken to intensive care in South Africa.\n\nHantavirus is typically only spread by exposure to rodent urine, feces or saliva, but the World Health Organisation believes that human-to-human transmission took place on MV Hondius.\n\nThe doomed liner dropped off all remaining passengers in the Canary Islands in mid May before docking in Rotterdam on May 18.\n\nAfter a team of 13 biosecurity experts deep-cleaned the ship, the vessel was cleared on May 30 by Dutch health authority (GGD) officials to return to full operations.\n\nOceanwide Expeditions said that eight decks were treated and MV Hondius was declared rodent-free.\n\nThe vessel will now be setting sail for Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost permanently inhabited town in Norway, for its first tour since the hantavirus outbreak.\n\nThe North Spitsbergen Explorer cruise will take guests around Norway’s Arctic Svalbard archipelago over 7 nights.\n\nPassengers were sprayed with disinfectant by Spanish government officials after disembarking from MV Hondius in the Canary Islands in mid May (Picture: AP)\n\nThe focus of the trip will be the icy wildlife, including spotting seabird colonies and viewing the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet.\n\nThere will also be opportunities to see glaciers, ice caps, seals, and polar bears.\n\nThe cost of a place ranges from £5,000 for a shared room to £14,000 for a Grand Suite.\n\nThe cruise’s crew will not feature anyone who had contact with individuals currently in quarantine.\n\nAll crew members who were present during the prior voyage of MV Hondius have disembarked the vessel and are currently in quarantine.\n\nOceanwide Expeditions also said that medical and epidemiological information confirms that the hantavirus was introduced before embarkation and did not originate from the vessel or from our onboard operational standards.\n\nTheir statement reads: ‘The completion of this deep clean and disinfection of the vessel eliminates the possibility of future transmission of hantavirus, which has limited environmental stability compared to many other viruses.’\n\nAs many as 22 Brits were flown home from the ship and told to isolate (Picture: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)\n\n##  What is hantavirus?\n\nHantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses, with each strain tied to a specific host species.\n\nIt’s spread when people come into contact with infected droppings, saliva, urine or nesting materials, but is **extremely rare,** and rarely passed from person to person.\n\nIf caught, hantavirus can lead to two main illnesses, one of which affects the lungs (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome or HPS) and the other which affects the kidneys (Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS).\n\nThe incubation period for this illness is generally two to four weeks, according to the government, but can range from as little as two days to as long as eight weeks.\n\nHantavirus is avirus transmitted by infected rodents causing severe respiratory and hemorrhagic diseases in humans. (Credits: Getty Images)\n\n### What are the symptoms?\n\nEarly symptoms of hantavirus are similar to the flu, and include headaches, dizziness, chills as well as abdominal problems like diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.\n\nIf it progresses into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, patients can experience headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.\n\nIf you develop Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, initial symptoms will include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever or chills, nausea, and blurred vision.\n\nIf the disease progresses, later symptoms include low blood pressure, acute shock (lack of blood flow), internal bleeding, and acute kidney failure, according to the CDC.\n\nHantavirus can be fatal, so it’s important to keep an eye on symptoms if you believe you’ve been exposed. There is currently no cure for the disease.\n\nAbout 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard MV Hondius before the outbreak, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on 24 April.\n\nThere were 30 Brits on board, but a number got off early at St Helena.\n\nThe remaining 22 British nationals took a charter flight home and were told to isolate for up to 45 days.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,** check our news page.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "You can now travel on the hantavirus ship – with a bird watching trip included"
}