Three people have died and three are ill after a Netherlands-basedcruise ship was hit by a suspected outbreak of hantavirus, arodent-borne virus that can cause fatal respiratory illness,authorities and media reports said on Sunday.
Netherlands-basedOceanwide Expeditions said in a news release it was “managing aserious medical situation” on a polar expedition ship, the MVHondius, which was off Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlanticwest of Africa.
The cruise departedfrom Argentina about three weeks ago with around 150 passengers andstopped in the Antarctic and other locations on its way to CapeVerde, according to media reports.
A Dutch ForeignMinistry spokesperson confirmed that two Dutch passengers had died,but gave no further details.
The World HealthOrganization said in an X post that one of the sick passengers was inintensive care in South Africa. Sky News reported the passenger isBritish, citing South Africa’s Department of Health.
WHO said it wasinvestigating the outbreak. Lab tests have confirmed hantavirus inone of the six people, the agency said.
OceanwideExpeditions said Cape Verde authorities had not given permission forpassengers requiring medical care to disembark, and Dutch authoritieswere seeking to organize repatriation of two symptomatic passengersalong with the body of a deceased passenger.
Hantavirus can bespread when droppings and urine of rodents become airborne, such aswhen people sweep out sheds where mice have been living. WHO said thevirus can be spread between people in rare cases.
The illness beginswith flu-like symptoms and can lead to heart and lung failure, witharound 40% of cases resulting in death, according to the U.S. Centersfor Disease Control.
There are nospecific drugs to treat hantavirus, so treatment focuses onsupportive care, including putting patients on ventilators in severecases.
“WHO isfacilitating coordination between member states and the ship’soperators for medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, aswell as full public health risk assessment and support to theremaining passengers on board,” the WHO said.
The British ForeignOffice and South Africa’s Department of Health did not immediatelyrespond to requests for comment.
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