YouTuber on board Hantavirus cruise ship made worrying move just days after disembarking
Popular YouTuber Ruhi Cenet was on the MV Hondius when the hantavirus outbreak took place.
Cenet, who has more than 18 million subscribers, was on the dutch cruise ship for 24 days.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday there had been six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to MV Hondius and that four patients were currently in hospital.
It added that a total of eight cases, including three deaths, had been reported.
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A day before he disembarked in Cape Verde on 12 April, the content creator was informed that the first passenger had died.
Cenet told NBC that 'we were not well informed' when he was on board and that staff put the initial death down to natural causes.
“Whatever health issues he was struggling with, I'm told by the doctor, were not infectious, so the ship is safe when it comes to that," the ship's captain announced, according to Cenet's video.
"The ship is safe. This gentleman, unfortunately, succumbed to natural causes. And like I say, we do what we can in order to continue in a safe and dignified way."
“Knowing that we didn’t get isolated and we didn’t take any caution for a solid 12 days, for my part, is a very sad situation,” Cenat said.
“I wish everyone was more mindful.”
Cenet carried on his life as normal, having attended a wedding in Istanbul on 3 May, the day after the WHO said it was responding to a suspected outbreak on the ship.
"On the date I attended the wedding, the hantavirus epidemic was not announced by the World Health Organization," he wrote on Instagram in Turkish. He added that he's now quarantined 'just in case', but has no symptoms.
Hantavirus is typically a group of viruses carried by mice and rats, and is transmitted by their droppings and urine.
Experts believe the outbreak may involve the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare version that can spread between humans and has a death rate of around 40 percent.
WHO epidemic expert Maria Van Kerkhove said: "This is not the next Covid, but it is a serious infectious disease. Most people will never be exposed to this."
"This is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently," she added.
The WHO has been doing contact tracing to limit any possible spread of infections.
Oceanwide told LADbible in a statement: "Oceanwide Expeditions is aware of a video filmed on 12 April 2026 and showing the onboard announcement to guests of the death of an individual on board on 11 April 2026.
"The safety and well-being of all passengers and crew is our utmost priority. At the time of the first death on 11 April, the cause of death was unknown and there was no evidence of a virus or contagion on board m/v Hondius. This was established by the medical doctor on board and communicated in person by the captain to passengers and crew on 12 April.
"The case was believed to be isolated following medical review. Proper procedure was followed in informing all guests and crew aboard m/v Hondius. Health and safety, and maritime standards regarding the proper management and reporting of a death at sea, were strictly followed. Following the medevac of an unwell guest on 27 April, the ship's medical team requested testing to determine whether any common pathogens were present. Oceanwide Expeditions initiated its SHIELD response plan on this date.
"Hantavirus was confirmed on 4 May to be present in the individual transferred by medevac from m/v Hondius on 27 April and currently being treated in a South African hospital. This was the first confirmed case. In response, Oceanwide Expeditions immediately upgraded its response protocol, requesting guests follow isolation measures, hygiene protocols, and expand medical monitoring. Four additional medical professionals have since embarked the vessel."
A timeline of the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius
1 April - The MV Hondius cruise ship departs Ushuaia, Argentina, going on to visit Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. Around 150 people are on board, of 23 different nationalities.
6 April - A 69-year-old Dutch man complains of a fever, headache, and mild diarrhoea while onboard.
11 April - The man’s condition deteriorates. He dies following respiratory distress.
12 April - The captain of the MV Hondius breaks the news of the man’s death to passengers. According to one of the passengers, the captain says the man died of natural causes and there is no contagion. Life continues as normal on board the ship.
24 April - The man’s wife, also 69 and from the Netherlands, goes ashore in St Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. On the same day, a British man presents to the ship’s doctor with shortness of breath and signs of pneumonia.
25 April - The Dutch woman boards an Airlink flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact tracing efforts follow in the coming days to track down the 82 passengers and six crew members onboard the flight.
26 April - The 69-year-old Dutch woman dies after arriving at the emergency department in Johannesburg, South Africa. Meanwhile, the British man’s condition deteriorates.
27 April - The British man is medically evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa. He remains in intensive care in Johannesburg. The MV Hondius initiates its SHIELD response health and safety plan.
28 April - A German passenger develops a fever.
2 May - The German passenger dies following pneumonia symptoms. Laboratory testing confirms the British man has hantavirus. The World Health Organisation is notified by the UK.
4 May - The Dutch woman is also confirmed to have had hantavirus. The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, confirms that there are two crew members, one British and one Dutch, with acute respiratory symptoms who require urgent medical attention.
6 May - Swiss authorities confirm a case of hantavirus from a passenger of the MV Hondius who heard of the outbreak and presented himself at a hospital in Zurich. The two crew members, along with a close contact of the German passenger who died on 2 May, are medically evacuated from MV Hondius. Of these three passengers, two are now in stable condition in hospital, and one is asymptomatic in Germany. The MV Hondius heads North for the Canary Islands. Oceanwide Expeditions says no symptomatic individuals remain on the ship.
8 May - The UK confirms a third British national has suspected hantavirus on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha.
10 May - The MV Hondius is scheduled to arrive at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife.
Topics: News, World News, Health
Anish Vij