A growing global health concern has emerged following an outbreak of hantavirus disease linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius during a voyage from Argentina toward Cape Verde.
The outbreak has reportedly claimed three lives, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman and her husband, while between five and eight infections have been confirmed. Authorities across several countries are now searching for about 40 passengers who disembarked at different locations along the ship’s route.
The vessel, which carried around 150 passengers and crew members from 28 countries, departed Ushuaia in Argentina before heading toward the Canary Islands after anchoring near Cape Verde. Reports also indicated that three British passengers on board tested positive for the virus.
Hantaviruses are rodent-borne viruses capable of causing severe respiratory or kidney diseases in humans, with some strains carrying mortality rates of up to 50 per cent.
According to the World Health Organisation, the outbreak has not reached pandemic levels similar to COVID-19. The virus is mainly transmitted from rodents such as rats and mice to humans, usually through inhalation of airborne particles from infected urine, saliva, or droppings.
Although hantavirus generally does not spread between humans, experts note that the Andes strain found in South America has shown rare cases of person-to-person transmission through prolonged close contact.
Health specialists warn that activities such as sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings may release infectious particles into the air. Symptoms often appear between one and eight weeks after exposure and may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Severe infections can progress to high fever, abdominal pain, internal bleeding, low blood pressure, kidney failure, and other life-threatening complications. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for the disease.
Nigeria has long battled rodent-related illnesses, particularly Lassa fever, which has remained endemic in the country since the 1960s. Although hantavirus belongs to a different virus family, health experts say the similarities underline the need for vigilance. This year alone, Lassa fever has reportedly caused about 170 deaths in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s successful containment of the Ebola outbreak in 2014 continues to serve as an example of effective emergency response. Through rapid contact tracing, strict isolation measures, and coordinated public health action, authorities prevented a wider outbreak after Liberian-American traveller Patrick Sawyer introduced the virus into Lagos.
The COVID-19 pandemic also demonstrated the importance of preventive health measures such as handwashing, social distancing, face masks, public sensitisation, and isolation of suspected cases.
However, concerns have been raised that many of these precautions have now been abandoned despite the continuing threat of emerging infectious diseases.
Public health experts are urging the Nigerian government to strengthen surveillance at airports and other international entry points, improve disease monitoring systems, and intensify awareness campaigns on rodent control and hygiene practices.
They also emphasised the need for increased funding for the healthcare sector, especially Primary Healthcare Centres, which serve as the frontline defence against disease outbreaks.
Communities, faith-based organisations, civil society groups, and other stakeholders have also been encouraged to support campaigns promoting environmental sanitation, safe food handling, and proper waste disposal.
Experts further advised residents to seal holes and openings that allow rodents into homes and public buildings, while rodent waste should be disinfected before cleaning to reduce the risk of airborne infection.
Health authorities recently received commendation for promptly handling a suspected COVID-19 index case in Cross River State, with reports indicating that the patient recovered without evidence of community spread.
Medical professionals warn that complacency could undermine global efforts to combat infectious diseases, stressing that coordinated action and sustained vigilance remain essential in preventing future health crises.
