2 hours Ago
The woman had been a passenger aboard the cruise ship Hondius. After falling ill, she disembarked at the remote island of Saint Helena and boarded a flight to South Africa on April 25. Her condition worsened significantly during that journey. She passed away shortly after reaching a hospital in Johannesburg, where tests confirmed hantavirus as the cause. Her husband had already died from the same virus while still on the ship.
Tracing the Flight and the Island
The flight carried 82 passengers and 6 crew members. South African health authorities have since contacted the airline, Airlink, asking them to notify everyone on board to reach out to their local health services as a precautionary measure. The WHO has confirmed its belief that the virus spread between people on board the Hondius, which makes identifying close contacts particularly urgent.
The island of Saint Helena is also conducting its own contact tracing. Sick passengers from the cruise ship came ashore there, raising concerns about potential exposure to residents. A small number of people on the island have been advised to self-isolate as a precaution. Authorities there were quick to clarify, however, that the virus has not been detected on the island itself, and they do not consider the situation a cause for widespread alarm. Saint Helena is home to just over 4,000 people.
The Ship Heads to Spain
While the tracing operation continues, the Hondius remains anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. Spain has agreed to receive the vessel at the Canary Islands, citing both international law and humanitarian responsibility. The country's Ministry of Health confirmed the decision, noting that Cape Verde lacks the medical capacity needed to handle an operation of this scale.
The ship is expected to take three to four days to reach the Canary Islands. Once it arrives, all passengers and crew will undergo thorough medical evaluations before being transferred to their respective home countries. Spain emphasized that this response reflects a moral and legal duty, especially given that Spanish citizens are among those on board. The total confirmed infections now stand at seven, including three deaths.
