Three people have died following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius during its voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde. The World Health Organization confirmed that one case has been laboratory confirmed, with five additional suspected infections among passengers.

The first victim, a 70-year-old passenger, died on board and was later transferred to Saint Helena. His 69-year-old wife was medically evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital. A third passenger, a 69-year-old British national, remains in intensive care in Johannesburg.

Health authorities are coordinating with the ship's operator to manage the situation, including possible hospital isolation for two additional ill passengers in Cape Verde. Hantavirus infections are typically linked to exposure to infected rodents and can cause severe respiratory illness requiring close medical monitoring.