Two patients with hantavirus and one suspected of being infected have been evacuated from the Hondius and are on the way to the Netherlands, the World Health Organization said, according to the Associated Press.

Cruise ship are an "ideal" environment for diseases to spread, a virologist told The Post: “They are essentially dense, semi-closed ecosystems where thousands of people share space, food, air and surfaces over multiple days.

Passengers stranded on board the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship have revealed life in currently like onboard, with experts warning there is a long road ahead for them