The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, which was traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde
Three people died on board an Atlantic cruise shipreported the WHO this Sunday, being a confirmed case of hantavirus — a disease usually transmitted to humans by rodents.
The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, which was traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde.
“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed and there are five additional cases under suspicion,” the WHO told AFP. “Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.”
Earlier, on Sunday, the South African health ministry told AFP that there had been an outbreak of a “severe acute respiratory illness”, which killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg.
The patient treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirusa family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, said South African spokesman Foster Mohale.
In its statement, the WHO stated: “Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents). Although rare, hantavirus can spread between people, can lead to serious respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response.”
Husband and wife
The first person to develop symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger. He died on board the ship and his body was on the island of St Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, said Mohale, the South African spokesman.
His 69-year-old wife also fell ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa.where he died in a Johannesburg hospital, he said, adding that it was not yet possible to confirm the nationalities of the victims.
The third case, a 69-year-old British man, was also evacuated to Johannesburg, where he is being treated in an intensive care unit.
A source close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a Dutch couple were among the dead. The third fatality was still on board the ship.
Discussions were ongoing to decide whether two other sick passengers should be placed in isolation at a hospital in Cape Verde, after which the ship would continue to Spain’s Canary Islands, the anonymous source said.
The WHO said it was “facilitating coordination” between national authorities and ship operators to organize the medical evacuation of two passengers with symptoms.
The MV Hondius is listed as a polar cruise ship on the websites of several travel agencies. It is operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, a tour operator based in the Netherlands.
One of the cruises offers a route departing from Ushuaia to Cape Verde, with stops on the islands of South Georgia and Saint Helena.
According to several online ship tracking sites, the MV Hondius was close to the port of Praia, capital of Cape Verde, this Sunday. The vessel has capacity for around 170 passengers and has around 70 crew members.
Humans can contract hantavirus through contact with infected mice or rats, their excrement, through bites or inhalation of contaminated dust. There are multiple types of hantavirus in different parts of the world, with varying symptoms.
AFP contacted the operator Oceanwide Expeditions, but has not yet received a response.
