The captain of a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship has thanked crew and passengers for their "unity" and "strength" following the outbreak of the virus. MV Hondius' Captain Jan Dobrogowski described the past few weeks as "extremely challenging" and praised his crew for their "courage" and "selfless resolve" they showed in the "most difficult moments". The Dutch vessel was carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries when a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses among passengers was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 3 May.