Race to find port for hantavirus-stricken cruise ship

A fisherman sails past the cruise ship with suspected hantavirus cases onboard, MV Hondius, stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. [AFP]

Health authorities were racing to find a port for a cruise ship battling a suspected hantavirus outbreak Tuesday, as it remained off Cape Verde with passengers isolating after three people died.

The MV Hondius will head to Spain's Canary Islands, the World Health Organization said, though Spanish authorities said no decision would be made on which port would receive the ship until epidemiological data on board had been analysed.