A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has left three people dead and several others ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement posted to X.

The U.N. health agency said one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, while five additional suspected cases are pending. Of the six people affected, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.

The WHO said it is coordinating with governments and the ship’s operator to arrange the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, while continuing to assess the public health risk to those still on board.

«Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations,» the WHO said. «Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing.»

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The outbreak is linked to the m/v Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the vessel, confirmed that three passengers died during the voyage and that one passenger is being treated in intensive care in Johannesburg.

Two crew members on board also require urgent medical care, the company said.

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The cruise ship MV Hondius is stationary off the port of Praia, Cape Verde, on May 3, 2026, amid an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illness that has caused two deaths and left a third patient in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa. The patient tested positive for hantavirus, according to South African health officials. (AFP via Getty Images)

As of late Sunday, authorities in Cape Verde had not authorized the disembarkation of passengers requiring medical treatment or broader medical screening, according to the company.

Local health officials have boarded the vessel to assess the situation but have not yet approved the transfer of symptomatic individuals to facilities on land.

«The priority of Oceanwide Expeditions is to ensure that the two symptomatic individuals on board receive adequate and expedited medical care,» the company said.

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A 3D illustration shows the structure of hantavirus, an RNA virus transmitted to humans through rodent excreta that can cause severe illnesses including hemorrhagic fever, renal disease, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. (iStock)

Dutch authorities are working to coordinate the repatriation of those affected from Cape Verde to the Netherlands, though the effort depends on approval from local officials, Oceanwide Expeditions said. 

Hantavirus infections are typically linked to exposure to infected rodents’ urine or feces and can lead to severe respiratory illness.

«While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response,» WHO said.

There is no specific cure for the virus, though early treatment can improve survival.

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WHO said it has notified global health authorities under international regulations and is continuing to support the response.

«We are currently establishing the full facts and working on appropriate medical care, screening, and next steps,» Oceanwide Expeditions said.

Power the Future, a pro-energy advocacy group, is asking Congress to take a closer look at opposition to data centers springing up across the country.

In a letter to Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the group asked lawmakers to open formal investigations into millions of dollars in funding they believe is incentivizing nonprofits and local groups to take up an environmental stance against data centers.

In their view, it’s a movement that’s trying to look more grassroots than it actually is.

«We request that your committees open a formal investigation into a coordinated, billionaire-funded, and potentially foreign-backed political campaign designed to block the construction of data center and AI infrastructure across the United States, which sits among the most important economic and national-security buildouts of President Trump’s second term,» the letter reads.

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The letter highlights fears that American laws surrounding nonprofits, which shield donors from public disclosures, could be enabling wealthy ideologues to make donations that are difficult to track.

The group pointed to environmentally-minded nonprofits like the Sierra Club, Food and Water Watch, Earthjustice, Goods Jobs First, Piedmont Environmental Council, the Southern Environmental Law Center, MediaJustice and the Athena Coalition that have received — and spent millions — opposing their expansion.

New Venture Fund, the Sierra Club Foundation and the Sixteen Thirty Fund collectively received over $13 million from pro-environmental donors, according to grant reporting.

It’s unclear if those donations were made for the express intent of opposing data center constructions.

Even so, across the board, the groups affirm that data centers are costing more resources than they are worth at the expense of local communities’ environmental well-being.

Power the Future disagrees.

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The Douglas County Google Data Center in Lithia Springs, Ga., March 6, 2026. (Mike Stewart/AP)

Beyond generating tax revenue for communities and creating employment opportunities, Power the Future argued that the data centers enable the U.S. to stay competitive with foreign powers.

«Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has called opposition to that buildout a ‘surrender’ to China,» Power the Future wrote in its data center report.

«The compute infrastructure that trains AI models, processes intelligence data and powers the next generation of American economic and military advantage has to be built somewhere.»

Although the group’s founder, Daniel Turner, believes that part of the opposition may well come from legitimate local concerns about unwanted development in rural areas, he’s skeptical of the money being pumped into the picture.

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Racks of servers with colorful wires at a data center as AI expansion strains the power grid, prompting a proposal for tech firms to fund their own energy needs. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)

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«There is certainly a lot for communities to discuss around data centers. But is it a paid operation by radical green groups who see banning data centers as the new banning the gas stove or banning the leaf blower?» Turner said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Power the Future has found 188 local opposition groups across 24 states that oppose data center expansion, according to its research.