Two Indian passengers were among travellers stranded aboard luxury expedition vessel MV Hondius after a deadly hantavirus outbreak infected multiple people and claimed three lives.

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• Two Indian nationals were among 149 passengers aboard expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, where a deadly hantavirus outbreak triggered an international health emergency response.
• According to the World Health Organization, eight hantavirus-linked cases have been identified, including three confirmed deaths and five suspected infections.
• The cruise vessel had departed from Argentina nearly one month earlier and visited remote wildlife regions before the outbreak was detected onboard.
• Health authorities launched a large international tracing operation after passengers returned to countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Switzerland, and South Africa.
• Four passengers were medically evacuated from the ship for urgent treatment as officials worked to contain the spread and identify additional suspected infections.
• Maria Van Kerkhove stated that hantavirus spreads differently from Covid-19 and influenza and should not be compared with those diseases.
• Hantavirus is primarily transmitted through exposure to infected rodents, their saliva, urine, or droppings, and is not considered highly contagious between humans.
• International health agencies are closely monitoring the outbreak due to the movement of passengers across multiple countries through commercial international flights.