A Deadly Cruise Ship Outbreak Exposes Travel’s Blind Spot
A hantavirus cluster on a remote South Atlantic voyage shows how infections can spread across borders before they’re even detected.
The cruise ship MV Hondius sits off Praia, Cape Verde, on May 3, 2026, after a hantavirus outbreak on board.
Photographer: AFP/Getty ImagesThe chef on the expedition vessel Hondius filmed it all. Tuna steaks sizzling on a flat-top grill. Lobster pulled from volcanic reefs. A crew drawn from nine countries gathered around a table in Ushuaia, Argentina, raising glasses before setting off into the South Atlantic.
“Next stop: the deep blue,” Khabir Moraes wrote in a Facebook post.