Spain’s health ministry said a decision on the most appropriate port would be taken only after reviewing the data, adding that the matter had been communicated to the World Health Organization. The vessel, carrying 149 passengers and crew of 23 nationalities, has been held offshore after Cape Verde denied it permission to dock.

Passengers and crew have been placed under strict isolation measures, including confinement to cabins, hygiene protocols and ongoing medical monitoring, according to the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions. The company confirmed three deaths during the journey, though it said the role of hantavirus in those fatalities has not been established.
Cape Verde authorities blocked the ship from docking at the port of Praia, citing the need to protect public health.

Officials said there would be no direct contact between those on board and the local population.
The cruise, which departed from Ushuaia in Argentina, reported that one passenger confirmed with hantavirus is currently in intensive care in Johannesburg. Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, also required urgent medical attention, though hantavirus infection in those cases has not been confirmed.

The World Health Organization said the overall risk to the wider public remains low, despite confirming at least one case and identifying several suspected infections. WHO officials said passengers were being advised to remain in isolation while disinfection and containment measures continue onboard.

Spain’s Canary Islands are being considered as a potential disembarkation point where further medical screening could take place, though no formal decision has been announced.

Health authorities in Cape Verde said they were awaiting authorization from the Netherlands and Britain for an air ambulance to evacuate some individuals from the vessel. Medical teams have assessed patients onboard but have not been permitted to transfer them ashore.

The first fatalities linked to the voyage included a Dutch passenger who died onboard on April 11 and his wife, who died on April 27 after disembarking in St. Helena. A German passenger died on Saturday, according to the ship operator.

WHO officials said investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the deaths and whether they are linked to hantavirus. The agency added that while infections are rare and typically associated with rodent exposure, cases can lead to severe respiratory illness and require close monitoring.

The WHO said at least one case of the rare viral infection had been confirmed, with one patient in intensive care in South Africa and two others awaiting possible medical evacuation from the vessel, which is currently stationed off Cape Verde.South Africa’s Department of Health said the first victim, a 70-year-old man, died onboard before his body was removed at Saint Helena.

His wife later collapsed at an airport in South Africa and died in hospital. A third victim remains onboard the ship.The cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said local authorities in Cape Verde had inspected the vessel but had not authorized disembarkation. Two crew members with symptoms requiring urgent care remain onboard pending further decisions by health officials.

The ship departed Argentina around three weeks ago on a voyage that included stops in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands and was scheduled to end in Spain’s Canary Islands. South African officials said approximately 150 passengers were onboard, along with about 70 crew members.

Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted through contact with infected rodents and can cause serious illnesses, including hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory condition. While infections are rare, the WHO said limited human-to-human transmission is possible and investigations, including laboratory testing and epidemiological tracing, are ongoing.

A British national who fell ill after the ship left Ascension Island is currently being treated in Johannesburg. South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases has initiated contact tracing to assess potential exposure among individuals who may have come into contact with infected passengers.

The WHO said it is conducting a full public health risk assessment in coordination with national authorities and the ship’s operator, while medical care continues for those affected onboard.

The charity said escalating hostilities following a U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran on Feb. 28 and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation across the region had severely constrained air, sea and land logistics, with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz nearly halted.

According to the organization, the disruption has caused shipping costs to surge by as much as 50% as aid agencies are forced to reroute deliveries, leaving critical supplies stranded in transit hubs across the Middle East.

At least 410,000 children and their families in crisis-affected regions have been impacted, with essential aid shipments unable to reach their destinations. “The escalating conflict is having grave ripple effects for children far beyond the region,” said Willem Zuidema, the group’s head of global supply chains.

A shipment of medical supplies bound for Sudan remains stuck in Dubai due to the closure of Hormuz-linked routes, putting more than 90 primary healthcare facilities at risk of running out of essential medicines, including antibiotics, antimalarials and fever treatments.

Aid groups are now exploring alternative routes, including overland transport across Saudi Arabia to Jeddah followed by sea shipment to Port Sudan, a shift expected to add between $1,000 and $2,000 per container in additional costs.

In Afghanistan, critical nutrition supplies intended for 5,000 children and 1,400 pregnant and breastfeeding women have also been delayed. Originally scheduled to be shipped from India via Iran, the supplies must now be transported by air at a cost exceeding $240,000, more than the value of the cargo itself.

Shipments to Yemen face similar challenges, with medicines for around 5,000 children still held up in Dubai. For the first time, the organization plans to move these supplies by road, effectively doubling transport costs.

Save the Children urged all parties involved in the conflict to ensure safe passage for humanitarian aid, calling for exemptions that would allow essential goods, including food and medical supplies, to move through critical chokepoints.

“With global humanitarian needs already at record levels, further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and wider region will have grave ramifications,” Zuidema said.