Hantaviruses are a collection of viruses predominantly carried by rodents such as mice and rats.
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The Department of Health has moved to reassure the public that there is “no need for panic” following the deaths of two international tourists and the serious illness of a third linked to an outbreak aboard an Antarctic cruise liner.
The department said it had been alerted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) after several passengers on board the MV Hondius developed severe health complications while the vessel was travelling past South African waters.
While initial reports pointed to severe acute respiratory infections, authorities have since confirmed that at least one case involves hantavirus — a rare but potentially deadly disease transmitted primarily through contact with infected rodents.
“In our view, there is no need for the public to panic because only two patients from the cruise ship have been within our borders,” the department said in a statement, adding that the overall risk to South Africans remains low.
The ship, carrying approximately 150 tourists from various countries, departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina about three weeks ago and was bound for the Canary Islands. Its route included remote and environmentally challenging regions such as mainland Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, St Helena, and Ascension Island.
Health officials said the first patient, a 70-year-old Dutch man, fell ill while the ship was travelling between Ushuaia and St Helena. He presented with a combination of symptoms including fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea — an unusual cluster that raised concern among medical personnel onboard.
He died shortly after the vessel reached St Helena Island. His remains are currently being held there, awaiting repatriation to the Netherlands.
A second fatality involved his spouse, a 69-year-old Dutch woman, who had travelled on to South Africa. She collapsed at OR Tambo International Airport while attempting to board a connecting flight back home.
Emergency services transported her to a nearby medical facility in Kempton Park, but she later died. Authorities have indicated that laboratory test results for her case are still pending, leaving uncertainty about whether her illness was linked to the same pathogen.
A third patient, a British national, also developed symptoms during the voyage, falling ill while the ship was travelling from St Helena to Ascension Island. Despite receiving treatment on Ascension, his condition deteriorated significantly.
He was subsequently medically evacuated to a private hospital in Sandton, where he remains in critical condition.
Laboratory testing confirmed that he is infected with hantavirus, which the department described as “a rare but potentially deadly virus transmitted primarily by rodents.” The patient is currently in isolation and receiving specialised care.
The department said it is working closely with the NICD and the Gauteng Department of Health to trace and monitor individuals who may have come into contact with the affected passengers.
“The Department is working with the NICD and Gauteng Health Department authorities to conduct contact tracing to stop potential spread of the virus by identifying and monitoring individuals who may have been exposed,” the statement said.
Despite the seriousness of the cases, authorities stressed that the situation is contained and that South Africa’s public health systems are responding appropriately.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped in to coordinate a broader international response involving all countries and territories along the ship’s route, in an effort to prevent further spread.
Officials noted that the voyage’s remote itinerary — which included isolated islands with limited healthcare infrastructure — may have complicated early detection and management of the illness.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact source of the infections, how the virus may have been transmitted onboard, and whether additional passengers could have been exposed.