South African health authorities are closely monitoring 90 people for potential hantavirus exposure following a fatal case connected to a deadly outbreak aboard an international cruise ship, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed this week.

Speaking to SABC News, Motsoaledi said contact tracers have identified 97 individuals who may have been exposed to the virus, with the vast majority already located and placed under medical surveillance.

“So far, we’ve identified 97 contacts, 90 of whom have been reached already and advised and they are being watched,” the minister said. “We’ll watch them for the whole six weeks.”

Multi-province tracing operation

The contact tracing effort spans multiple exposure points across the country, including commercial flights, emergency medical transport and healthcare facilities, as authorities work to map all possible transmission chains.

“We are concerned about contacts, whether it’s from the plane, from a ambulance or health workers. They are all equal contacts,” Motsoaledi said.

Most identified contacts are based in Gauteng, with a smaller number in the Western Cape. Health officials report that none have displayed confirmed symptoms of hantavirus infection to date.

The minister cautioned against assuming every flu-like illness among monitored individuals is linked to the virus. “Not everybody that shows flu-like symptoms can attribute it to hantavirus,” he said.

Connection to international outbreak

The South African case forms part of a broader international health emergency linked to the MV Hondius, a cruise ship that departed from South America bound for the Canary Islands. At least three deaths have been attributed to the outbreak, with several passengers requiring emergency medical evacuation during the Atlantic crossing.

The vessel has since docked in Tenerife, Spain, where passengers underwent health screening before being permitted to disembark under controlled conditions.

South African health officials are maintaining daily coordination with international health partners to prevent further spread. “We work with them every day,” Motsoaledi said, referring to collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

Limited transmission risk

Despite the active monitoring operation, the health minister said hantavirus poses minimal risk of widespread transmission. The virus does not spread easily between humans, with only one strain – the Andes variant – known to permit limited person-to-person transmission under rare circumstances.

Medical experts note that even this form of transmission typically requires close, prolonged contact with an infected individual.

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Dr Motsoaledi has urged South Africans to remain calm as health authorities continue their surveillance work. “We don’t want people to start panicking… we cannot say that there’s an outbreak of anything yet,” he said.

Continued surveillance

The Department of Health confirmed that the situation is being managed in accordance with international health regulations, with no evidence of community transmission detected at this stage.

Authorities will maintain active monitoring of all identified contacts throughout the six-week incubation period, with focus on early detection and rapid containment should any additional cases emerge.

The operation represents one of South Africa’s largest recent contact tracing efforts outside of Covid-19, demonstrating the country’s continued capacity to respond to potential infectious disease threats.

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