Practical advice
Travelling After the Andes Outbreak: A Risk-Based Guide for Cruise Passengers
Cancelling your trip is one option, and probably the wrong one. A calmer reading of the evidence supports a more useful set of changes.
We've had more reader questions about cruise cancellations in the last week than in the last three years. The pattern is consistent: ‘We booked an Antarctic / Patagonian expedition for the southern summer. Should we go?’ Let's work through the actual decision.
The base rate is still very low
The MV Hondius outbreak is the first recognised hantavirus cluster ever tied to a cruise. Before this, the cumulative tally was zero. The probability that any given expedition cruise in the next year produces a comparable cluster is genuinely small. The ECDC and CDC have both classified general-population risk as very low.
What you should ask your operator before you sail
- Is the vessel undergoing structured rodent surveillance? What's the pest-management log policy?
- What is the pre-embarkation health screening protocol? Is there fever and symptom screening, particularly for departures from Andes-virus-endemic ports?
- What is the onboard medical capability - physician, isolation cabin, oxygen, transport-out plan?
- What is the operator's procedure if a febrile illness presents during the voyage?
- If a cluster were identified, what is the disembarkation protocol and which port authority is the coordinating jurisdiction?
On-shore behaviour matters more than the ship
The ship is, in some sense, the obvious place to worry about. The actual exposure that brought Andes virus aboard MV Hondius almost certainly happened on shore in Patagonia. Sensible behaviour at Patagonian and South Atlantic landings:
- Stay on designated trails; avoid abandoned buildings, sheds and outbuildings.
- Do not handle dead rodents under any circumstances.
- If a cabin or hut is offered as shelter, ventilate it for at least 30 minutes before entry.
- Don't camp on the floor of structures with visible rodent activity.
- Wash hands thoroughly after any contact with soil, vegetation or rough surfaces.
What to do after you get back
For 42 days after returning from any Andes-virus-endemic destination - Argentina, Chile, parts of southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay - keep a low-effort symptom watch. If you develop fever with severe muscle aches, particularly with any new shortness of breath, treat it as an emergency and mention the trip immediately to whichever clinician you reach.
This is the same advice WHO has given for returning MV Hondius passengers. It is reasonable to extend it to anyone who has been in Patagonia for any reason in the past six weeks.
Travel insurance
Review your policy. Specifically: does it cover repatriation in the event of an infectious-disease cluster on the vessel? Does it cover quarantine in port, including hotel and re-booking costs? Does it cover diagnostic testing on return? If not, this is one of the rare moments where the additional ‘medical and repatriation’ rider on top of a standard travel policy is genuinely worth the small extra premium.
Editorial note
This article is intended as public information, not individual medical advice. If you are concerned about your symptoms, contact a qualified healthcare professional. We update outbreak reporting as new primary-source information becomes available.