2 S'pore residents on cruise ship MV Hondius test negative for hantavirus: CDA

Two Singapore residents who were on board the cruise ship MV Hondius have tested negative for hantavirus, said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) in a May 8 press release.

CDA's National Public Health Laboratory conducted testing with multiple samples collected from the individuals, and confirmed that hantavirus, including the Andes virus, was not detected.

Will be quarantined, risk to general public low: CDA

As a precaution, the two individuals will be quarantined for 30 days from the date of last exposure, and testing will be conducted again before release from quarantine, the release stated.

CDA added that they will then undergo phone surveillance for the remaining monitoring period of 45 days from the date of last exposure, which is the maximum incubation period for hantavirus exposure.

CDA said, however, that the risk to the general public in Singapore remains low and they are closely monitoring the situation, where it stands ready to enhance public health measures should new information indicate an increased public health risk to Singapore.

Isolated after exposure

This comes after an earlier report mentioned that the two Singapore residents were isolated at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and tested for hantavirus.

CDA previously said in a May 7 press release that one had a runny nose but was otherwise well, and the other was asymptomatic.

Same flight as confirmed case

The two individuals were onboard the MV Hondius when it departed from the Argentinian port of Ushuaia on Apr. 1, 2026.

The first individual, a 67-year-old Singaporean male, arrived in Singapore on May 2.

The second, a 65-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident male, arrived in Singapore on May 6.

Both had disembarked from the ship and were also on the same flight as a confirmed hantavirus case from St Helena to Johannesburg on Apr. 25, CDA said.

The confirmed case did not travel to Singapore and has since passed away in South Africa.

Eight cases linked to outbreak

As of May 6, eight cases, including three deaths, were linked to the cluster on the cruise ship.

Three of the cases were confirmed to be infected with hantavirus, with the rest under investigation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently assesses the risk to the global population as low.

About Hantavirus and the MV Hondius outbreak

Hantaviruses are viruses carried by some rodents, CDA said.

People can become infected when they breathe in dust contaminated with urine, droppings or saliva from infected rodents, especially when cleaning or disturbing areas with rodent activity.

Infections are uncommon, but illness can range from mild to severe.

While hantaviruses do not usually spread from person to person, one species, the Andes virus found in parts of South America, has been associated with human-to-human transmission.

Symptoms of infection with the Andes virus typically include fever, body aches, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms and difficulty breathing, and progress rapidly to shock and death.

Treatment consists of supportive care and management in hospital if required, but there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccination, CDA said.

The mode of transmission for the cases linked to the MV Hondius remains under investigation.

There is speculation that a Dutch couple who has since died contracted hantavirus from rodents after going on a bird-watching tour that included a visit to a landfill.

WHO has indicated that human-to-human transmission cannot be excluded and has advised all persons who have been on the MV Hondius to monitor their health and seek medical attention promptly if experiencing symptoms.