Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean Leaves Three Dead, WHO Confirms
Three people, including an elderly married couple, have died from a suspected hantavirus outbreak onboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. At least three others are affected, according to the World Health Organization and South Africa’s Department of Health.
A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has resulted in three fatalities, including an elderly married couple, and has infected at least three more individuals, as per statements from both the World Health Organization (WHO) and South Africa's Department of Health.
The investigation into this incident is currently underway, with WHO confirming at least one case of hantavirus.
One patient is in intensive care at a South African hospital, while efforts are being made to evacuate two other passengers displaying symptoms from the ship.
Hantavirus, which affects people globally, primarily spreads through contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents such as rats and mice.
The virus has gained attention after the death last year of Betsy Arakawa, wife of late actor Gene Hackman, in New Mexico due to hantavirus infection.
Hackman passed away a week later from heart disease.
Hantavirus can lead to severe respiratory illness and potentially fatal lung infections known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Though rare, hantavirus can be transmitted between humans.
WHO has acknowledged the public health event on the cruise vessel, which was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ongoing investigations include further laboratory testing and epidemiological studies.
Support and medical care are being provided to passengers and crew members, with the virus’s sequencing also underway.
The South African Department of Health identified the MV Hondius cruise ship, which had embarked from Argentina approximately three weeks prior for a voyage covering Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and other destinations before reaching Spain's Canary Islands on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
The Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship was located docked in Praia, Cape Verde’s capital, on Sunday night.
The first fatality was a 70-year-old male who died onboard and whose body was removed in Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic.
His wife attempted to fly to her native Netherlands but collapsed at an airport in South Africa, where she later passed away at a nearby hospital.
The patient currently in intensive care is a British national who fell ill near Ascension Island after leaving Saint Helena and has been transferred to Johannesburg for treatment.
Around 150 tourists were aboard the ship during the outbreak according to South Africa’s health department, with several tour operators noting that the Hondius typically sails with approximately 70 crew members.
WHO is collaborating with national authorities and the cruise ship's operators to conduct a comprehensive public health risk assessment and provide assistance to those remaining on the vessel.
Additionally, contact tracing is being conducted by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases in the Johannesburg region to identify any individuals who might have been exposed to the infected passengers.
There is currently no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus infections; however, early medical intervention can significantly increase survival chances.
The investigation into this incident is currently underway, with WHO confirming at least one case of hantavirus.
One patient is in intensive care at a South African hospital, while efforts are being made to evacuate two other passengers displaying symptoms from the ship.
Hantavirus, which affects people globally, primarily spreads through contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents such as rats and mice.
The virus has gained attention after the death last year of Betsy Arakawa, wife of late actor Gene Hackman, in New Mexico due to hantavirus infection.
Hackman passed away a week later from heart disease.
Hantavirus can lead to severe respiratory illness and potentially fatal lung infections known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Though rare, hantavirus can be transmitted between humans.
WHO has acknowledged the public health event on the cruise vessel, which was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ongoing investigations include further laboratory testing and epidemiological studies.
Support and medical care are being provided to passengers and crew members, with the virus’s sequencing also underway.
The South African Department of Health identified the MV Hondius cruise ship, which had embarked from Argentina approximately three weeks prior for a voyage covering Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and other destinations before reaching Spain's Canary Islands on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
The Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship was located docked in Praia, Cape Verde’s capital, on Sunday night.
The first fatality was a 70-year-old male who died onboard and whose body was removed in Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic.
His wife attempted to fly to her native Netherlands but collapsed at an airport in South Africa, where she later passed away at a nearby hospital.
The patient currently in intensive care is a British national who fell ill near Ascension Island after leaving Saint Helena and has been transferred to Johannesburg for treatment.
Around 150 tourists were aboard the ship during the outbreak according to South Africa’s health department, with several tour operators noting that the Hondius typically sails with approximately 70 crew members.
WHO is collaborating with national authorities and the cruise ship's operators to conduct a comprehensive public health risk assessment and provide assistance to those remaining on the vessel.
Additionally, contact tracing is being conducted by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases in the Johannesburg region to identify any individuals who might have been exposed to the infected passengers.
There is currently no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus infections; however, early medical intervention can significantly increase survival chances.
