Three Dead in Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak, WHO Confirms
One confirmed hantavirus case aboard MV Hondius traveling from Argentina to Cabo Verde; three victims died, one in intensive care in South Africa
Quick Look
- Three people have died and one is in intensive care in South Africa following a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina to Cabo Verde.
- The WHO confirmed one laboratory-tested hantavirus case, with five additional suspected cases among the six affected individuals.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Hantavirus is a family of viruses transmitted to humans from rodents, which can cause haemorrhagic fever and severe respiratory illness. The outbreak occurred on a cruise ship traveling between South America and Africa, with medical treatment taking place in South Africa.
Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the WHO said Sunday, one a confirmed case of hantavirus – an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents. The illness broke out on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cabo Verde, formerly known as Cape Verde. "To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the WHO told Agence France-Presse. "Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa." Earlier on Sunday, South Africa's health ministry said there had been an outbreak of a "severe acute respiratory illness" which had killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg. The patient treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause haemorrhagic fever, South African spokesman Foster Mohale said.
Open Questions
- What specific strain of hantavirus was confirmed?
- What was the source of the infection on the ship?
- How did the outbreak spread among passengers?
