Hantavirus cases in Saint Helena
Saint Helena is one of 14 countries with confirmed cases linked to the 2026 MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak. This page tracks the local count, lists the attributable events, and updates every time the underlying dataset is revised.
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. Saint Helena 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.
What to watch for if you were on the Hondius or in close contact with a returning traveller.
The 42-day window, ring tiers, and what investigators actually do.
If you're in Saint Helena — official guidance
- Public health authority
- Saint Helena Health Directorate / Tristan da Cunha Government
- Current MV Hondius protocol
- UK-supported PCR investigation; UKHSA medical team deployed by airdrop on 10 May 2026.
Saint Helena — read in another language
Other affected countries
Source & method
Counts on this page come from the same dataset that powers the homepage. Every figure links back to a primary source — WHO Disease Outbreak News, ECDC threat assessments, or a national ministry of health communiqué. Open dataset: /data.
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