“It is absolutely false,” stated a source close to Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in response to fake news suggesting that the MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, was heading toward Labadee, Haiti. Officials expressed confusion over why the ship, which has confirmed cases of hantavirus, was being associated with Haiti, noting that the vessel is currently very far from the country. According to Associated Press, the ship is now en route to the Canary Islands with over 140 passengers and crew members on board.
The outbreak has already claimed the lives of three passengers. Health authorities across four continents are now scrambling to trace over two dozen passengers who left the ship on April 24 without proper contact tracing. In Amsterdam, a flight attendant has been isolated for testing after showing symptoms following contact with an infected passenger who died in Johannesburg. This could potentially be the first confirmed infection outside the vessel.
Experts maintain that the risk to the general public remains low, as hantavirus—typically transmitted via dust contaminated by rodent droppings—does not easily spread between humans. Symptoms usually appear one to eight weeks after exposure. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remains in regular contact with the ship’s captain as the situation develops.
