South Africa: Minister Calls for Calm During Hantavirus Probe - South African News Briefs - May 6, 2026

Lead

South Africa's Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has moved to reassure the public as authorities continue to trace contacts of confirmed Hantavirus patients, according to reports carried by AllAfrica. The reassurance follows confirmation of Hantavirus in a critically ill British national in South Africa, and in a woman who collapsed at OR Tambo International Airport and later died. Her husband, a third patient, passed away in St Helena, the reports say.

The three were passengers aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina to the Canary Islands via Cape Verde, according to the same reports.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the development has been consistent across the AllAfrica items reviewed, with a shared emphasis on the public health response and government coordination. The Health Minister's briefing to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health on Wednesday morning was a central element, with one report detailing his explanation of contact tracing efforts and the circumstances around the airport incident.

The Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health, led by chairperson Faith Muthambi, has called for ongoing transparency and public engagement. In a statement, the committee said it welcomed the confirmation that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is coordinating a broader international response, while underscoring the importance of adhering to infection prevention and control protocols.

One report framed the minister's message as "urging calm," noting that he said health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and there is no immediate cause for public panic.

Key Claims

The confirmed Hantavirus case in South Africa was announced by the Department of Health after a patient aboard the MV Hondius was medically evacuated to a private health facility in Sandton for further management, according to one report. The same report noted that two other passengers, a couple, also presented with severe acute respiratory infection, with one collapsing at OR Tambo International Airport while trying to connect a flight to the Netherlands. That passenger later died; lab results were still outstanding at the time of reporting.

Another report detailed the Health Minister's update, in which he said that the woman who arrived at OR Tambo had flown in from St Helena, and that authorities needed to identify people who were at the airport before she collapsed. He also referenced contact tracing involving healthcare workers in Kempton Park where the woman went, as well as the gentleman in a hospital in Sandton and the ambulance crew that transported him. The minister said the total number of people traced who could have come into contact with the patients was 62, with 42 already traced and being observed.

Addressing how the woman was allowed into the airport, Motsoaledi explained that she had not presented herself as ill to airline staff in St Helena, making it difficult to flag her in advance. He noted that on a routine basis, air staff are in touch with countries to report any person who might be sick on an aircraft, but in this case no warning was given because even the staff did not pick up anything.

The World Health Organisation is conducting international contact tracing, the reports say, coordinating a multi-country response to contain the virus.

Additional reporting mentioned that the WHO had reported two confirmed and five suspected infections among passengers on a cruise ship near Cape Verde. A British tourist flown to South Africa for treatment at a Sandton hospital remains in critical condition after testing positive. A second suspected local case was reported after a patient collapsed at OR Tambo while in transit to the Netherlands; that patient later died at a medical facility in Kempton Park, according to the same report.

Perspectives

Government

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi emphasised the speed and coordination of the response, stating that South African officials worked swiftly to detect, contain, and respond to the case. He urged the public not to panic, saying authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health

The committee, chaired by Faith Muthambi, called for transparency, vigilance, and ongoing public communication as investigations continue. It welcomed the WHO's coordination of an international response, noting that incidents of this nature often cross national borders and require multi-country cooperation.