The hantavirus outbreak has been reported on the Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde.

Health authorities are investigating the source of the virus, with some suggesting there could be a “mixture” of transmission, including close contact between passengers.

Experts said it is likely that initial infections were acquired off the ship with suspected human-to-human transmission among those with “really” close contact, such as people who have shared a cabin.

So far, eight individuals have become ill on the Dutch cruise ship, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), three of whom are confirmed as having hantavirus.

One of the confirmed cases is a British national currently receiving treatment in Johannesburg, while others remain stranded on the ship.

Three deaths have been reported in connection with the outbreak.

What is hantavirus? 

Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and is transmitted by their droppings and urine.

This virus can cause a range of diseases from mild, flu-like illness to severe respiratory illness.

“There is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus infections,” the health experts added.

“Treatment is supportive and based on symptoms, such as hospital care and respiratory support.”

How do you catch hantavirus?

As rodents carry hantaviruses, human infection tends to occur in places where people and rodents coexist.

The UKHSA continued: “This is most commonly in rural, agricultural settings.

“The viruses can also sometimes be found in cleaning sheds, barns and holiday homes where rodents might have nested.”

People usually contract hantavirus by breathing in air contaminated with virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.

It can also spread through cuts, eyes, or rodent bites.

The Government agency added: “Most hantaviruses do not spread between humans, although person-to-person transmission has happened with the Andes virus strain in rare cases.”

The hantavirus currently affecting the Dutch cruise has been confirmed as the Andes strain by the WHO.

Swiss authorities have confirmed a case of #hantavirus identified in a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship.

He had responded to an email from the ship’s operator informing the passengers of the health event, and presented himself to a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, and… pic.twitter.com/4mmBd7qSA4

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 6, 2026

Hantavirus symptoms

Symptoms of hantavirus infection can include:

• Fever
• Extreme fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Stomach pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Shortness of breath

The UK Health Security Agency said: “In some cases, people develop severe breathing difficulties requiring hospital care.

“Symptoms usually appear between 1 to 4 weeks after being exposed to the virus, but there are reports of symptoms occurring up to 8 weeks after exposure.”

Is hantavirus in the UK?

Hantaviruses are present throughout the world, including in Europe, Africa, and Asia. 

Only one strain of hantavirus has ever been detected in the UK – Seoul hantavirus.

This variant does not transmit person-to-person.

Do you have any hantavirus symptoms? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

Press, based in London, launched in 2013 with “a mission to bring natural & healthy nutrition to the UK”.

The online company sells everything from healthy meal plans and soups to juice cleanses and smoothies.

Its website adds: “Good nutrition has the power to change every aspect of your life and drives a positive impact for our planet.

“It can support your immune system, give you more energy, help you manage eating habits, give you clearer skin and better digestion.”

Press has a strong online following, boasting nearly 72,000 followers on Instagram, 10,000 on Facebook, and thousands more on TikTok.

Press enters administration after 13 years

After 13 years in business, Press London Ltd is now at risk of closing after entering administration.

Marco Piacquadio and Rachel Elizabeth Ennis from FTS Recovery Limited were recently appointed administrators, according to Companies House.

Press has been contacted for comment.

What happens when a company goes into administration?

When a company enters administration, it means that it is unable to pay expenses, debts, or other liabilities, according to SquareUp.com.

Companies House adds: “When a company goes into administration, they have entered a legal process (under the Insolvency Act 1986) with the aim of achieving one of the statutory objectives of an administration. This may be to rescue a viable business that is insolvent due to cashflow problems.

“An appointment of an administrator (a licensed insolvency practitioner) will be made by directors, a creditor or the court to fulfil the administration process.”

A statutory moratorium is put in place once a company enters administration, giving it “breathing space” to allow for financial restructuring plans to be drawn up free from creditor enforcement actions.

A company can continue to trade while in administration, but daily management and control are handed over to the administrators.

Companies House continues: “Within 8 weeks it is the administrators’ role to formulate administration proposals.

“Creditors are then asked to vote by a decision procedure to approve the administrators’ proposals.

“If the administration involves a sale of all or part of the company’s business, the proceeds (after the costs of the procedure) will be distributed to creditors in a statutory order of priority.”

Administration will end automatically after 12 months unless the administrator asks the court or creditors for an extension.

Through administration, a company can be:

• Rescued and passed back to the directors
• Enter liquidation
• Be dissolved

Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026 (so far)

It has been a rough start to 2026 for the UK high street, with several other retailers entering administration and others announcing widespread store closures.

Major high street retailers LK Bennett and Claire’s both closed all their stores in April, having previously fallen into administration.

Other retailers have been forced to close stores this year, including:

Several other companies have fallen into administration, including:

Meanwhile, four UK travel companies have closed in 2026:

Luxury UK holiday company Salamander Voyages also shut down recently after entering administration.

EcoJet Airlines, billed as “the world’s first Electric Airline”, entered liquidation earlier this year after just three years, resulting in the cancellation of all planned flights.

What has a nose, wings and runs off of hydrogen? Ecojet 😎 pic.twitter.com/y8QGiBdFe2

— ecotricity (@ecotricity) July 17, 2023

UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out over the coming months after being acquired by InPost.

It’s also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.

It’s not been all bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.

Have you purchased any health food or drink products from Press before? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

Samuel Corner was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm against Police Sergeant Kate Evans following a retrial at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday.

Four Palestine Action activists have been found guilty of raiding an Israel-based defence firm’s UK site and destroying equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars in a bid to shut the factory down.

Supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, where Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Katema Rajwani and Zoe Rogers faced a retrial (Image: Yui Mok)

READ MORE: Oxford busker hospitalised with head injury after attack

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani were in a prison van which crashed into shutters at the Elbit Systems factory in Bristol in the early hours of August 6, 2024.

Leona Kamio was found guilty of criminal damage (Image: Yui Mok)

The activists, all wearing red boilersuits, then set about destroying property inside the factory, before clashing with security guards and police who tried to stop the raid.

Head, 30, was driving the prison van which was used as a “battering ram” to break into the facility, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

The raid had been “meticulously organised” and was aimed at “causing as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company”, said prosecutor Deanna Heer KC.

The activists used sledgehammers and crowbars they had brought with them to destroy computers, drones, and other equipment, and used fire extinguishers to spray red paint across the walls and floor.

The group caused an estimated £1 million of damage during the raid, a court was told.

Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani were each found guilty of criminal damage after a jury deliberated for more than 14 hours.

Fatema Rajwani was one of four activists found guilty of criminal damage (Image: Yui Mok)

Two other activists, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin, who had been charged with criminal damage, and who the court heard had been in the factory, were found not guilty.

READ MORE: Emergency response to A34 Oxford crash as lane blocked

Corner was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm against Police Sergeant Kate Evans by a majority of 11 to one. He was cleared of grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mr Justice Johnson thanked jurors for their service.

“You performed that public service in exemplary fashion, turning up to court on time and putting up with delays,” he told the jury.

A protester outside Woolwich Crown Court, London (Image: Ellie Crabbe/PA Wire)

The court heard that when police arrived at the factory, 23-year-old Corner used his seven-pound sledgehammer to strike Sgt Evans twice on the back, leaving her with a fractured spine and fearing that she had been paralysed.

They claimed their purpose was to “dismantle drones and weaponry” which they believed would be used to kill people.

The defendants argued that the escalation in their clashes with security and police was not part of the plan, and insisted they had a justification for causing the damage to equipment.

Corner, a former linguistics and philosophy student at Oxford University, told his trial it “seemed reasonable to do something” after he heard one of his fellow activists screaming and believed they were being hurt by security guards.

READ MORE: Oxford – Asylum seeker jailed for sexual assaults on 3 women

Sgt Evans was unable to return to work for three months in the aftermath as she recovered from the spinal injury, and she told the court she remains on restricted duties and still experiences back pain more than 20 months on.

After the convictions, Lord Walney, former independent government adviser on political violence and extremism, said: “It’s a huge relief to see justice finally being brought after this disgusting attack that left a police officer with a fractured spine.”

The four defendants are due to be sentenced on June 12.