A rare, deadly virus spread aboard a cruise ship weeks before anyone knew what it was
- Team TOI Plus
- Updated: May 08, 2026, 14:28 IST IST
What began as a luxury Antarctic expedition has turned into one of the strangest and deadliest infectious disease outbreaks in recent years.
The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, left Argentina on April 1 for a cruise across Antarctica and the South Atlantic. Weeks later, passengers found themselves confined to cabins while health authorities across several continents raced to trace passenger infected with Andes hantavirus, a rare but highly dangerous strain found mainly in Argentina and Chile.
The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, left Argentina on April 1 for a cruise across Antarctica and the South Atlantic. Weeks later, passengers found themselves confined to cabins while health authorities across several continents raced to trace passenger infected with Andes hantavirus, a rare but highly dangerous strain found mainly in Argentina and Chile.
