There are concerns amongst the community on St Helena after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that three people have died following a suspected outbreak of hantavirus aboard the expedition vessel MV Hondius. The 107.6-metre polar cruise ship, operated by tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, is very familiar to the St Helenian public after it arrived in James Bay just over a week ago on 22nd April, staying for a scheduled two day visit as part of its voyage sailing North up the Atlantic, calling at Tristan Da Cunha, St Helena, and Ascension Island.
There are some Local concerns after several mainstream online news reports, including one detailed report from the BBC, making it public knowledge that the body of a 70-year-old passenger who died aboard the vessel was left in St Helena.
Foster Mohale, a spokesperson for the South African Department of Health, confirmed that the deceased passenger’s body remains on the island awaiting repatriation to the Netherlands. In a further tragedy related to the same outbreak, the man’s wife collapsed while trying to connect to a flight back home to the Netherlands and subsequently passed away in a South African hospital. These fatalities, alongside more deaths reported by the WHO and later confirmed by a passenger on board, have cast a sombre light on the vessel’s journey.
The outbreak on the MV Hondius has prompted a major international response after the ship reported one laboratory confirmed case and five additional suspected cases. A 69-year-old British national became severely ill while travelling in the mid Atlantic on the MV Hondius. The UK Foreign Office has announced that it is closely monitoring the situation and is ready to support British nationals affected by the crisis.
The concern for Saints on the island rests on the nature of the virus itself. Hantavirus is typically passed to humans from environmental exposure to infected rodents, specifically through their urine or faeces, and can result in severe respiratory illness. While the WHO notes that the virus only rarely spreads between people, the fact that the vessel anchored off the island for two days and deposited a body, while passengers who came ashore in St Helena came into contact with the local community especially in shops and on group tours, has understandably sparked local unease and concern. Furthermore, some social media discussions have outlined concerns regarding potential public health risks.
In response to these anxieties, a social media post stated that the St Helena Government is actively addressing the reports of the suspected virus outbreak. Health officials are working closely with the UK Health Security Agency to prepare an evidence-based response. A formal public announcement from the St Helena Government is scheduled over the coming hours to keep everyone informed.
Meanwhile, Oceanwide Expeditions has stated that the health and safety of the approximately 150 tourists and crew members aboard the vessel remains their highest priority. The tour company is working alongside the WHO, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and international authorities to manage the crisis. Efforts are currently being led by Dutch authorities to repatriate two other symptomatic individuals who are currently off the coast of Cape Verde, as the ship awaits further laboratory testing and viral sequencing.
A passenger, whom St Helena Online had been in direct contact with last week, also made this statement just a few hours ago from the deck of the MV Hondius:
“We are fine for now, we don’t have any problems. I want to say that. As you can see, crossing the ocean is not always easy. They didn’t let us into Cape Verde. Behind us is Cape Verde, Green Cape Island, the capital is Praia. This is an island off the coast of Senegal. Since they didn’t let us in here because they didn’t want us because of a deadly virus on the ship, as we experienced the third death yesterday evening well, it seems like a critical situation. But as much as possible, the World Health Organisation, I also spoke with the Turkish Ministry of Health, Germany, England, and the Netherlands, because this shipping company is based in the Netherlands, they are all doing their best to get through this situation with the least amount of loss.
This is the situation for now, don’t worry, pray for us. We think we will go to the Canary Islands, I hope we will go there. The Canary Islands also belong to Spain. We will see what happens. probably, if nothing else comes up, they will quarantine us. I hope that after that process, or maybe before, if another situation arises, I don’t know, we will return home.
This is how things stand. But we are fine, let me remind you of that again. Of course, for the people who died, for the sick people, as I said, it is not clear exactly why they died. Hantavirus was detected in only one person, and that is a type of virus that doesn’t transmit from person to person. This is the situation; these things can happen. I mean, this is probably a first in the world, actually.”