Should cruise passengers be worried about hantavirus?

At a glance

• Currently, the risk of cruise passengers at large being exposed to hantavirus while at sea is extremely low
• The tragic outbreak on MV Hondius appears to be an isolated event
• It is much harder for the Andes strain that caused it to be transmitted between humans compared to COVID-19 or the flu
• At the time of writing, the FCDO has not advised against travel to Argentina, which is where most Antarctica cruises begin

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by wild rodents. In humans, they can cause flu-like symptoms that may progress to severe respiratory illness or kidney disease.

People typically become infected with hantavirus after breathing in air contaminated with virus particles from rodent urine, droppings or saliva. The virus can also enter the body through cuts, the eyes or bites. Crucially, most hantaviruses are not spread person to person.

The Andes virus, the strain of hantavirus which caused the deadly outbreak on the Dutch expedition ship MV Hondius, is the exception to this. However, unlike COVID-19 or the flu, cases of person-to-person transmission are extremely rare and require close, prolonged contact.

Are cruise passengers likely to catch hantavirus?

While the Andes virus is serious and can be fatal, both the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have assessed the risk to the public as low.

This is because the Andes strain requires close, prolonged contact to pass between humans. It is not spread through casual everyday contact.

Additionally, passengers and crew repatriated from MV Hondius are being monitored by health authorities to reduce the risk of onward transmission.

Ultimately, current evidence points to the risk of hantavirus transmission being extremely low for cruise passengers. The MV Hondius outbreak appears to have been an anomaly, with health authorities believing the first passenger infected likely contracted the virus off ship before subsequent transmission occurred through close contact on board.

Beyond this isolated and deeply tragic cluster of cases, there is no indication cruises at large are vulnerable to hantavirus outbreaks.

Are cruises to Antarctica at risk of hantavirus?

While some Antarctica cruises begin in Punta Arenas in Chile, or as far afield as New Zealand, over 90 per cent of them start in the Argentine city of Ushuaia, often recognised as the southernmost city in the world.

Because MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, there has been speculation that the first passenger to fall ill came into contact with the virus there, with some citing a birdwatching trip to a landfill site as a potential point of infection.

However, the Ushuaia tourism board has strongly rejected such claims, as our sister publication Cruise Trade News has reported.

“The individuals linked to the widely publicised index cases, who began showing symptoms on 6 April aboard the vessel MV Hondius, which departed from the port of Ushuaia on 1 April, arrived in Ushuaia on the afternoon of 29 March,” the board said.

“That means their stay in the city lasted two days. In this context, the general incubation period for hantavirus is between 15 and 21 days, which does not align with a possible exposure period in Ushuaia.

“It is known that these individuals had travelled for several months prior to arriving in Ushuaia, visiting hantavirus-endemic areas in both Chile and Argentina, where the Andes strain circulates.”

Even so, and regardless of where the virus was contracted, a range of protective measures have been put in place in the city to ensure the safety of visitors, including access and capacity controls to avoid overcrowding, signage, installation of physical barriers, first aid protocols and frequent cleaning and disinfection of facilities and equipment.

While we’ve now entered the no-go season for Antarctica, when bitter cold and stormy seas make the White Continent inaccessible to cruisers, health authorities, infectious disease experts and expedition lines will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the season restarting in late October.

At the time of writing, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has not issued an advisory against travel to Argentina, but if you’re feeling uncertain about booking your cruise to Antarctica, it’s worth consulting a travel agent, investigating the expedition lines with the most flexible policies and purchasing travel insurance as soon as you book for peace of mind.