Deadly hantavirus outbreak unfolds on cruise ship
An outbreak of a rare hantavirus unfolded over weeks on a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean.
Cape Town, South Africa: A deadly outbreak of the rare hantavirus has unfolded over the course of weeks on a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and ship tracking data reveal that passengers and crew members fell sick as the ship stopped at or near remote islands along its route.
Nearly a month passed between when an elderly Dutch man fell ill and died in the South Atlantic and laboratory tests in South Africa, more than 3,500 kilometers away, first confirmed hantavirus infections.
Three passengers have since died, one is in intensive care in a South African hospital, and three others were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday.
Another man who left the ship earlier in the voyage tested positive in Switzerland.
More than 140 passengers and crew members remain onboard as the MV Hondius ship departed Cape Verde for Spain's Canary Islands.
Tests on patients in South Africa and Switzerland revealed that it was an Andes virus, a hantavirus found in South America, according to officials.
Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings and can spread person-to-person, though this is rare, according to the WHO.
The organization's top epidemic expert stated that the risk to the public remains low as health authorities on three continents investigate the source of the outbreak and trace individuals who may have come into contact with passengers who left the ship earlier.
The outbreak occurred aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions.
The expedition cruises offer trips to Antarctica and several islands in the South Atlantic, allowing passengers to witness some of Earth's remotest places.
The cruises can last one month or more and cost between $6,000 and $25,000 depending on the cabin.
The Hondius set sail from southern Argentina on April 1.
On April 6, a 70-year-old Dutch man fell ill with fever, headache, and diarrhea.
He died onboard on April 11, while the ship was located between the British island territories of South Georgia and St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic, according to MarineTraffic data.
The cause of death could not be determined at that time, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.
The ship continued sailing for nearly two weeks, stopping near the Tristan da Cunha island before reaching St. Helena on April 24.
The Dutch man's body was removed and his 69-year-old wife disembarked.
The woman developed symptoms again during her flight to South Africa on April 25, collapsing at an airport upon arrival.
She died in a hospital on April 26, according to the WHO.
Another passenger, a British man, became ill after leaving St. Helena and sailing to Ascension Island.
He presented with high fever, shortness of breath, and signs of pneumonia on April 27, when he was evacuated to South Africa for intensive care.
The third fatality, a German woman, died onboard the ship on May 8 after falling ill four days earlier.
Her body remains on the vessel.
Health officials in South Africa tested the British man in intensive care for hantavirus after tests for other ailments were negative.
A positive result was received on Saturday, 21 days after the first passenger died.
WHO announced an investigation into a suspected hantavirus outbreak on Sunday, with the ship having reached Cape Verde waters by that time.
The positive test results prompted South African health authorities to test the Dutch woman's body, which also tested positive on Monday.
Swiss authorities confirmed a positive result in the man who left the ship and traveled to Switzerland on Wednesday.
Contact tracing is underway as the WHO investigates how the virus, which is relatively rare in humans, got onboard the cruise ship.
The Argentine government believes that the Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia before boarding, according to anonymous investigators.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and ship tracking data reveal that passengers and crew members fell sick as the ship stopped at or near remote islands along its route.
Nearly a month passed between when an elderly Dutch man fell ill and died in the South Atlantic and laboratory tests in South Africa, more than 3,500 kilometers away, first confirmed hantavirus infections.
Three passengers have since died, one is in intensive care in a South African hospital, and three others were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday.
Another man who left the ship earlier in the voyage tested positive in Switzerland.
More than 140 passengers and crew members remain onboard as the MV Hondius ship departed Cape Verde for Spain's Canary Islands.
Tests on patients in South Africa and Switzerland revealed that it was an Andes virus, a hantavirus found in South America, according to officials.
Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings and can spread person-to-person, though this is rare, according to the WHO.
The organization's top epidemic expert stated that the risk to the public remains low as health authorities on three continents investigate the source of the outbreak and trace individuals who may have come into contact with passengers who left the ship earlier.
The outbreak occurred aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions.
The expedition cruises offer trips to Antarctica and several islands in the South Atlantic, allowing passengers to witness some of Earth's remotest places.
The cruises can last one month or more and cost between $6,000 and $25,000 depending on the cabin.
The Hondius set sail from southern Argentina on April 1.
On April 6, a 70-year-old Dutch man fell ill with fever, headache, and diarrhea.
He died onboard on April 11, while the ship was located between the British island territories of South Georgia and St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic, according to MarineTraffic data.
The cause of death could not be determined at that time, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.
The ship continued sailing for nearly two weeks, stopping near the Tristan da Cunha island before reaching St. Helena on April 24.
The Dutch man's body was removed and his 69-year-old wife disembarked.
The woman developed symptoms again during her flight to South Africa on April 25, collapsing at an airport upon arrival.
She died in a hospital on April 26, according to the WHO.
Another passenger, a British man, became ill after leaving St. Helena and sailing to Ascension Island.
He presented with high fever, shortness of breath, and signs of pneumonia on April 27, when he was evacuated to South Africa for intensive care.
The third fatality, a German woman, died onboard the ship on May 8 after falling ill four days earlier.
Her body remains on the vessel.
Health officials in South Africa tested the British man in intensive care for hantavirus after tests for other ailments were negative.
A positive result was received on Saturday, 21 days after the first passenger died.
WHO announced an investigation into a suspected hantavirus outbreak on Sunday, with the ship having reached Cape Verde waters by that time.
The positive test results prompted South African health authorities to test the Dutch woman's body, which also tested positive on Monday.
Swiss authorities confirmed a positive result in the man who left the ship and traveled to Switzerland on Wednesday.
Contact tracing is underway as the WHO investigates how the virus, which is relatively rare in humans, got onboard the cruise ship.
The Argentine government believes that the Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia before boarding, according to anonymous investigators.
