Three people have died and a UK national is seriously ill in hospital after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a small cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The operator of the MV Hondius ship, tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, said a Dutch husband and wife, as well as a German national, have died but the cause has not yet been established.

However, the Dutch company said hantavirus has been confirmed in the case of the 69-year-old UK national who is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Hantavirus is usually passed to humans from rodents via their faeces, saliva or urine. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Rarely, it can be transmitted between people.

Oceanwide Expeditions said there were two crew members on board “with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe”.

They both require urgent medical care and are of British and Dutch nationality, it said, before adding that no other persons with symptoms had been identified at this time.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was “acting with urgency” to support the MV Hondius and thanked South African authorities for taking care of the British patient.

WHO’s regional director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, said: “I am in close contact with our teams to ensure a co-ordinated, science-based response.

“Hantavirus infections are uncommon and usually linked to exposure to infected rodents.

“While severe in some cases, it is not easily transmitted between people. The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”

The MV Hondius vessel is currently off the coast of Cape Verde and has 149 people onboard.

Negotiations are in progress with local authorities following what Oceanwide Expeditions described as “a serious medical situation”.

Outlining a timeline, the company said a passenger became unwell while onboard and died on 11 April.

His cause of death could not be determined, and his body was taken off the ship after it docked at St Helena on 24 April.

The wife also disembarked on St Helena and the firm said it was told she became unwell during the return journey and later died.

“At this time, it has not been confirmed that these two deaths are connected to the current medical situation on board,” Oceanwide Expeditions added.

On 27 April, the firm said, another passenger – the British national – became seriously ill and was “medically evacuated” to South Africa.

The 69-year-old remains in a critical but stable condition in Johannesburg after it was confirmed a variant of hantavirus had been identified.

The firm added that on Saturday, a third passenger onboard MV Hondius died.

Although the cause of death has not been established, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed the passenger was German.

“In addition, there are currently two crew members on board with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe,” the firm said.

“Both require urgent medical care. These crew members are of British and Dutch nationality,” it said.

Oceanwide Expeditions said the cause of the deaths were being investigated.

“The disembarkation of passengers, medical evacuation and medical screening require permission from, and co-ordination with, the local health authorities.

“Local health authorities have visited the vessel and assessed the situation. The medical transfer of the two ill persons on board has not yet taken place,” the company said.

According to the South African government, MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina about three weeks ago, before it completed its journey to Cape Verde, where it is anchored outside the capital, Praia.

It is described as a 107.6m (353ft) polar cruise ship, with space for 170 passengers in 80 cabins, along with 57 crew members, 13 guides and one doctor.

One passenger onboard the MV Hondius, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC: “The latest word is that a plane is on its way and once it gets here three people will be evacuated from the ship and flown straight to Europe.

“Then the rest of us will almost certainly sail to the Canary Islands.

“The Cape Verde authorities clearly want nothing to do with us. This is what we’re hearing from the captain and staff. From what I can see the mood (on the ship) is pretty good.

“Only one person has been tested (the one now in South Africa) and he tested positive for hantavirus. So, we don’t actually know yet if the other cases are that or something unrelated.

“If they are all hantavirus then the transmission is a bit mysterious. We’ve been informed that there are no rodents on board, and person-to-person transmission is difficult/rare.

“Hopefully the other patients on board will be tested soon and then we’ll know better what’s going on.”

President of the Cape Verdean Public Health Institute, Maria Da Luz, said passengers would not be disembarking in Cape Verde in order to protect the local population, Cape Verde’s media outlet A Nacao reports.

Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles told the BBC the time between exposure to hantavirus and symptom onset could be as long as eight weeks.

“With this incubation period are we going to see more people coming down with the disease in the next days and weeks?”

Oceanwide Expeditions said it is liaising with local authorities and is also preparing for a “possible medical repatriation”.

The option of sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands is “being considered”.

Strict precautionary measures are in process on board, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring,” the Oceanwide Expeditions added.

“All passengers have been informed and are being supported. Oceanwide Expeditions is in close contact with those directly involved and their families, and is providing support where possible.”

The UK Foreign Office told the BBC it was monitoring reports, and ready to support British nationals.

Hantavirus was in the headlines last year after the wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman died from a respiratory illness linked to hantavirus in March 2025.

bbc.com

The Ghana High Commission in Pretoria has urged members of the Ghanaian community in South Africa to exercise heightened caution ahead of planned demonstrations over immigration issues.

This is on the back of reports and viral videos of xenophobic incidents targeting foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, in some parts of the country.

In a notice issued on Tuesday, April 28, the mission advised Ghanaians, particularly those in Pretoria, to prioritise their personal safety as a group identified as the March Organisation prepares to march to the Presidency to present its grievances.

“I urge everyone to continue exercising heightened vigilance and to place the highest priority on personal safety during this period,” the statement said on behalf of the High Commissioner, Benjamin Anani Quashie.

The High Commission specifically called on Ghanaian shop owners to shut their businesses for the day and avoid areas where protests are expected.

“Shop owners are strongly encouraged to close their businesses for the day and avoid areas where protests or demonstrations are taking place,” it said.

It also cautioned nationals against taking part in any public gatherings that could escalate into confrontations.

“Please refrain from participating in public gatherings that could escalate into confrontation,” the statement added.

Ghanaians were further advised to maintain a low profile and act with discretion both in public and online, including avoiding the sharing of content that could be seen as provocative or inflammatory.

The High Commission said it would provide further updates as the situation develops.

citinewsroom.com

Civil society groups in Nigeria have criticized a call by Senate President Godswill Akpabio for the return of police security personnel to members of the National Assembly and other senior public officials.

The criticism followed Mr. Akpabio’s appeal to President Bola Tinubu to review his recent directive withdrawing police operatives attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs). The president said the move was intended to redeploy officers to tackle wider security challenges across the country.

Speaking during President Tinubu’s presentation of the 2026 budget at a joint sitting of the National Assembly in Abuja, Mr. Akpabio warned that the decision had exposed federal lawmakers to security risks. He said some legislators feared they might be unable to return safely to their constituencies following the withdrawal of their police escorts.

“Some of the National Assembly members said I should let you know that they may not be able to go home today,” Mr. Akpabio told the president, while appealing for a review of the policy.

However, a coalition of civil society groups operating under the Support For Civil Society Organizations Initiative rejected the request, describing it as a misplaced priority and inconsistent with global democratic practice.

“In other democracies, legislators do not deploy large numbers of armed police officers while the wider population remains vulnerable to attacks,” the group said in a statement.

The group’s leader, Chief ‘Aare’ Oluwasegun Oyedijo, said public office holders should not be insulated from the realities faced by ordinary citizens.

According to the coalition, leaders who deliver on their mandates should not fear the people they represent or require special security arrangements. It argued that good governance and accountability, rather than armed protection, are what earn public trust.

The group said the withdrawal of police escorts could help reduce the growing gap between elected officials and their constituents, encouraging closer engagement and more effective representation. It also criticized what it described as the excessive use of state security resources to protect politicians, saying this had contributed to a culture of privilege and abuse of power.

The coalition added that the Nigeria Police Force should prioritize the protection of communities and public safety, rather than serving as personal guards for political office holders.

“We are not calling for a breakdown of law and order,” the statement said. “Leaders who serve well do not need to hide behind armed security. This step will strengthen democracy and compel the delivery of real dividends of governance.”

President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs on 23 November, directing that those requiring armed protection should instead apply to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The government says the policy is part of broader efforts to improve national security amid rising crime and limited policing resources.

During the same session, Mr. Akpabio praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying they were beginning to yield results despite the hardship experienced by many Nigerians. He assured the president of the National Assembly of support for the reform agenda and the proposed 2026 budget.

thepressradio.com