By Marcus Moloko
Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi says South Africa is working closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to trace and monitor contacts linked to the recent outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus.
As of May 2026, health officials have identified 97 contacts, with 90 already reached and advised to monitor for symptoms over the next six weeks.
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Motsoaledi confirmed that the country’s contact tracing teams are collaborating daily with WHO representatives and the NICD to ensure coordinated surveillance.
“We work with them every day,” he said.
“The contact tracers in South Africa are conducted by the Department of Health, the regional representative of the World Health Organization, as well as the NICD. We’re all working together in this.”
The WHO is currently leading a multi-country response following an outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which docked in several ports before cases were detected internationally.
South Africa has recorded five cases under investigation, while the WHO is managing three others in different countries.
Two primary cases managed locally were a 69-year-old Dutch woman who collapsed at OR Tambo International Airport and later died, and a British national who remains hospitalised in Johannesburg in stable condition.
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Globally, eight cases have been reported, six confirmed, and three deaths linked to the cruise cluster. The WHO currently assesses the global public health risk as low.
According to the Minister, health officials have successfully traced passengers from Airlink Flight 4Z132 from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on 25 April 2026, on which the deceased woman travelled.
Of the 82 passengers, more than 50 have been located, including 14 South Africans, ten in Gauteng, and four in the Western Cape.
Motsoaledi said contact tracing extends beyond passengers to include health workers, ambulance staff, and others who may have had close contact.
“We are concerned about contacts, whether it’s from the plane, from the ambulance, health workers, they are all equally contacts,” he explained.
Of the 90 individuals reached, four are in the Western Cape, and 86 are in Gauteng. Only one contact in the Western Cape has developed mild flu-like symptoms and was admitted to hospital for observation.
“Her results were negative when tested for hantavirus,” Motsoaledi said. “She’s still being observed. But as we emphasize, the symptoms are flu-like, and this is winter. Not everybody who shows flu-like symptoms can be attributed to hantavirus.”
The Andes strain is one of 38 known hantavirus strains, and notably the only one capable of human-to-human transmission.
“Indeed, the Andes is the only one out of the 38 known strains that is capable of human-to-human transmission,” Motsoaledi said.
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“All the others have not been found to be like that.”
Despite this, health officials stress that transmission typically requires prolonged, close contact, and there is no evidence of local rodent carriers in South Africa or elsewhere on the continent.
The Department of Health remains on high alert
