Andes virus outbreak linked to expedition cruise ship travel, multi-country investigation and response, April to June 2026
As at 18 June 2026, 13 cases (12 confirmed and one probable) of Andes orthohantavirus have been reported (case–fatality: 23%), linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius . The event involved individuals from 23 nationalities and required medical evacuation, repatriation, coordinated international contact tracing, isolation, quarantine and clinical and laboratory testing follow-up. To date, all cases have been passengers (10/121; 8%) or crew members (3/61; 5%). Ongoing monitoring and investigations aim to clarify the source of the outbreak, identify risk factors and prevent further spread.
Authors
- Nazir Ismail (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7696-3776)
- María Cruz Calvo Reyes
- Michèle van Vugt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8365-2482)
- Laura Santos Larrégola
- Chantal B. E. M. Reusken (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4605-9174)
- Susan van den Hof (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2968-9652)
- Ettore Severi
- François-Xavier Lescure (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2828-125X)
- O Berg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6142-8145)
- Tjalling Leenstra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7294-2193)
- W. Zingg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3102-5158)
- Mirko Faber
- Mark A Cachia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1569-1363)
- the International ANDV team
- UKHSA ANDV Team
- Mayank Singal
- Pedro Valdivia Prieto
- Margreet JM te Wierik
- Esther M Schadd
- Freddy Mutoka-Banza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0739-1193)
Institutions
- National Health Laboratory Service (ZA)
- Inserm (FR)
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Robert Koch Institute (DE)
- BC Centre for Disease Control (CA)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- University Hospital of Zurich (CH)
- Central Military Hospital (NL)
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (NL)
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (CG)
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL)
- Ministry of Health (GR)
- Impact (CA)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SE)
- McMaster University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Eurosurveillance
- Published
- 2026-06-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2026.31.24.2600477
- Primary Topic
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00