Hantavirus cases in Santa Elena

Country note

Probable case (per WHO DON-600 update): adult male resident who disembarked at Saint Helena on 14 April, symptom onset 28 April (diarrhoea, then fever 2 days later); stable in isolation. UK medical airdrop 10 May: RAF Airbus A400M Atlas parachuted 8 military medical personnel onto the golf course plus 3.3 tonnes of supplies — first ever emergency airdrop onto Tristan da Cunha. PCR results expected within 48 hours.

Context

The 2026 outbreak is caused by Andes virus (ANDV), the only hantavirus with documented person-to-person transmission. The index event is a cluster aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius. Santa Elena cases are either:

• Returning passengers or crew of the MV Hondius
• Household or close-contact cases of returning travellers
• Suspected pre-cruise exposures (rare, currently under investigation)

The country's national focal point reports cases up to WHO and ECDC; we update from those publications.

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Other affected countries