By CNN MAY 5, 2026

Some human-to-human transmission may have occurred on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak that has left three people dead and several others ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.

“We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out so as a precaution this is what we are assuming,” Dr. Maria Van Kerhove, WHO’s director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters.

However, health authorities have emphasized that the outbreak does not pose a wider public health risk.

“The risk to the general public is low,” Van Kerkhove said, outlining that any suspected human-to-human transmission would have occurred between very close contacts like married couples. “This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID. It’s quite different.”

Almost 150 people, including 17 Americans, remain stranded on the MV Hondius which is currently anchored off the coast of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off Africa’s west coast.

The ship, operated by tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, left Ushuaia, Argentina last month on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, stopping off at some of the world’s most remote islands. But along the way, several passengers fell sick with a rapidly progressing respiratory illness, the company said.

Seven cases of hantavirus, a rare disease typically caused by contact with infected rodents’ urine, faeces or saliva, have been identified so far. Two of those are confirmed and five suspected, WHO said Monday.

Three people – a Dutch couple and German national – have died while one British national remains in intensive care in South Africa, though Van Kerkhove said his condition is improving.

Two other people suffering from hantavirus symptoms remain on board the ship, though their medical evacuation is currently underway, Van Kerkhove said.