The National Department of Health has confirmed that authorities are currently awaiting test results for an individual in the Western Cape linked to the Hantavirus outbreak.
Officials reported that this individual is exhibiting mild symptoms, including a fever and a sore throat.
According to department spokesperson Foster Mohale, the person is one of four individuals being monitored by health officials.
“Four of the passengers from the Airlink flight from St Helena reside in the Western Cape. Three of them did not experience symptoms. Only one did, and he has since been tested. Results are pending,” Mohale said.
The group of individuals is being monitored after being identified through contact tracing related to a possible hantavirus exposure associated with the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Mohale indicated that the Department has traced about 50 of the 82 passengers who were on the Airlink flight from St Helena Island to Johannesburg.
Among these, 10 individuals are currently being monitored in Gauteng.
He emphasised that the government is taking a cautious approach, and the wider public remains at low risk for the time being.
The cruise ship, which sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde, carried 147 passengers from 23 countries and made several stops across the South Atlantic, including St. Helena.
In a media briefing on Thursday, May 7, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stressed that the outbreak on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius is not comparable to the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organisation also rejected any speculation that this outbreak could signal the onset of another pandemic.
“This is not the coronavirus. It is a different virus, and we know this virus. Hantavirus has been around for a while,” it said.
“It is not a COVID-19 pandemic; it is an outbreak that we are seeing on the ship. This is not the same situation we were in six years ago.”
As of May 8, 2026, the WHO reported eight confirmed cases of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship, with three deaths attributed to the virus.
Airlink issues important statement
On Thursday, May 7, Airlink initiated contact tracing and notified the public that a passenger on one of its flights had died from Hantavirus.
Anyone who was on the flight is advised to contact the health department.
The airline noted that the passenger on Airlink flight 4Z132, which departed St. Helena Island on 25 April 2026, had passed away. The suspected cause of death is Hantavirus.
The World Health Organisation and South African public health authorities said they were responding to several cases of Hantavirus involving passengers from an Atlantic Ocean cruise ship.
One passenger disembarked the ship at St. Helena Island, intending to fly back to the Netherlands via Johannesburg on Airlink flight 4Z 132 from the island on April 25, 2026.
In total, the flight carried 82 passengers and 6 crew members. At that time, Airlink was unaware that any passengers were unwell.
On Sunday, 3 May, Airlink was informed by South Africa’s public health authorities that the passenger from the cruise, who had taken the previous week’s flight, had passed away shortly after arriving in Johannesburg.
Her death is believed to be linked to the rare Hantavirus.
In accordance with health protocols, Airlink provided the Department of Health with the names, contact details, and seating arrangements of the passengers and crew on the flight to facilitate contact tracing.
Airlink is also reaching out to the passengers from that flight, advising them to contact South Africa’s Department of Health at +27 (0) 76 273 41 55 or via email at [email protected].
