MV Hondius: A Timeline of Events on Board

A confirmed case of hantavirus on board a cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde has prompted heightened precautions as authorities monitor passengers and crew.

Two Irish citizens are among the 149 people aboard MV Hondius.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the vessel, said strict safeguards have been introduced on board, including isolation procedures and enhanced hygiene measures.

Here is a brief chronology of developments:

24 April: The body of a passenger was taken from the ship, with his wife accompanying it.

27 April: Oceanwide Expeditions was told that the man’s wife had fallen ill during the journey back and later died. Both passengers were Dutch nationals. At that stage, there was no confirmation that the deaths were linked to the current medical situation on board.

27 April: A second passenger became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa. The passenger, a British national, is receiving treatment in an intensive care unit and remains in a critical but stable condition. Tests identified a variant of hantavirus in this patient.

2 May: A German passenger died on board MV Hondius. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

Two crew members currently on board are suffering from acute respiratory symptoms — one mild and one severe — and both require urgent medical attention. Hantavirus has not been confirmed in either crew member, who are British and Dutch nationals.

It has also not been established whether the virus is connected to the deaths of the three passengers.

No other passengers have so far been identified as showing symptoms.

MV Honduras remains off the coast of Cape Verde with 149 people on board. Local health officials have boarded the vessel and carried out an assessment of the situation.