Polar-Expedition Cruise Vessel (Index Site of the April-May 2026 Andes Hantavirus Cluster)
Dutch-flagged polar-expedition ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. Departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 2026 carrying 88 passengers and 59 crew (23 nationalities total). Itinerary: Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Cabo Verde, headed for the Canary Islands when the outbreak became visible.
First Passenger (a 70-year-old Dutch man) developed fever, headache, and mild diarrhea on April 6 — five days after departure. He died April 11, with cause initially attributed to routine clinical reasons by the ship's medical staff.
By The time the cluster was reported to the World Health Organization on May 2 (DON599 published May 4), three were dead, one was in intensive care in South Africa, and three more had mild symptoms. Cabin isolation was ordered for asymptomatic passengers. The vessel was eventually granted permission by the Spanish government — overruling regional Canary Islands objections — to disembark in Tenerife under a controlled, nationality-segregated protocol.