Hondius Cruise Ship Hantavirus Deaths: CDC Confirms No Taiwanese Citizens on Board
Regarding the fatal Hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship 'Hondius,' Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that no Taiwanese citizens were found on the passenger and crew lists. This refutes earlier misinformation about Taiwanese individuals returning home and demonstrates the CDC's commitment to ensuring public health and safety.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 13:28
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 13:31 (3 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 8, 2026 at 14:54 (1h 22m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yi-ning, Taipei, 8th) Reports of a fatal Hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship 'Hondius' and rumors that Taiwanese individuals had returned to Taiwan sparked concern. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today stated that this was misinformation, confirming with Dutch and Argentine contacts that no Taiwanese citizens were on the passenger and crew lists.
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship 'Hondius' recently experienced a Hantavirus outbreak. Media reports indicated that, according to a Spanish passenger on board, 23 people had disembarked earlier on Saint Helena Island, including Taiwanese travelers who had reportedly returned to Taiwan.
Regarding these rumors, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today issued a press release stating that after sending inquiries on May 7 to the International Health Regulations (IHR) national focal points in the Netherlands and Argentina, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) contact point, to ascertain if there were any Taiwanese passengers on board or among those who disembarked early on Saint Helena Island on April 24, the IHR focal points in the Netherlands and Argentina replied on the same day, around 11 PM and 9 PM respectively, stating that their lists of passengers and crew did not include any Taiwanese citizens.
The CDC explained that according to the latest data from the cruise company Oceanwide Expedition's press release on May 4, there were a total of 149 passengers and crew on board, with no Taiwanese nationals. Furthermore, in the information released by the World Health Organization at its press conference on May 7, the passengers who disembarked early on Saint Helena Island on April 24 came from 12 different countries; the cruise company's detailed list of passenger nationalities in its press release on the same day also did not include any Taiwanese nationals.
The CDC emphasized that, based on the above information, it is sufficient to confirm that the anonymous passenger's revelation to a Spanish national newspaper was misinformation, and in fact, none of the cruise ship's passengers were Taiwanese citizens. The CDC will continue to cooperate closely with the WHO and relevant countries to ensure the health and safety of the Taiwanese people.
The CDC's data indicates that as of May 5, the WHO had identified a total of 8 cruise-related cases, of which 3 were fatal; among the 8 cases, 3 were laboratory-confirmed as Hantavirus infections, and 2 of these were confirmed by viral gene sequencing to be Andes virus, with the remaining sequencing still in progress.
The CDC explained that the WHO's assessment of the most likely scenario for this cluster is that one traveler became infected with Hantavirus through environmental exposure during travel in Argentina or the Southern Cone region of South America, boarded the ship during the incubation period, and subsequently caused human-to-human transmission to two confirmed cases and at least one suspected case through prolonged close contact. (Editor: Guan Zhong-wei) 1150508
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(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yi-ning, Taipei, 8th) Reports of a fatal Hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship 'Hondius' and rumors that Taiwanese individuals had returned to Taiwan sparked concern. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today stated that this was misinformation, confirming with Dutch and Argentine contacts that no Taiwanese citizens were on the passenger and crew lists.
The Dutch-flagged cruise ship 'Hondius' recently experienced a Hantavirus outbreak. Media reports indicated that, according to a Spanish passenger on board, 23 people had disembarked earlier on Saint Helena Island, including Taiwanese travelers who had reportedly returned to Taiwan.
Regarding these rumors, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today issued a press release stating that after sending inquiries on May 7 to the International Health Regulations (IHR) national focal points in the Netherlands and Argentina, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) contact point, to ascertain if there were any Taiwanese passengers on board or among those who disembarked early on Saint Helena Island on April 24, the IHR focal points in the Netherlands and Argentina replied on the same day, around 11 PM and 9 PM respectively, stating that their lists of passengers and crew did not include any Taiwanese citizens.
The CDC explained that according to the latest data from the cruise company Oceanwide Expedition's press release on May 4, there were a total of 149 passengers and crew on board, with no Taiwanese nationals. Furthermore, in the information released by the World Health Organization at its press conference on May 7, the passengers who disembarked early on Saint Helena Island on April 24 came from 12 different countries; the cruise company's detailed list of passenger nationalities in its press release on the same day also did not include any Taiwanese nationals.
The CDC emphasized that, based on the above information, it is sufficient to confirm that the anonymous passenger's revelation to a Spanish national newspaper was misinformation, and in fact, none of the cruise ship's passengers were Taiwanese citizens. The CDC will continue to cooperate closely with the WHO and relevant countries to ensure the health and safety of the Taiwanese people.
The CDC's data indicates that as of May 5, the WHO had identified a total of 8 cruise-related cases, of which 3 were fatal; among the 8 cases, 3 were laboratory-confirmed as Hantavirus infections, and 2 of these were confirmed by viral gene sequencing to be Andes virus, with the remaining sequencing still in progress.
The CDC explained that the WHO's assessment of the most likely scenario for this cluster is that one traveler became infected with Hantavirus through environmental exposure during travel in Argentina or the Southern Cone region of South America, boarded the ship during the incubation period, and subsequently caused human-to-human transmission to two confirmed cases and at least one suspected case through prolonged close contact. (Editor: Guan Zhong-wei) 1150508
Stand with facts, your sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to get the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.