The World Health Organization reported on Sunday that three individuals have lost their lives aboard a cruise ship crossing the Atlantic, with one death confirmed as resulting from hantavirus infection, AFP reported.
The outbreak took place on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, toward Cape Verde.
“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the WHO told AFP, adding, “Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa."
South Africa’s health ministry earlier on Sunday reported an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory illness that had claimed at least two lives, with a third patient receiving intensive care treatment in Johannesburg.
The patient in Johannesburg tested positive for hantavirus, a family of viruses known to cause hemorrhagic fever, according to South African health spokesperson Foster Mohale.
In its statement, the WHO explained, “Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to infected rodents’ urine or feces). While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response."
The first individual to show symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger. He died aboard the vessel, and his body is currently on the island of Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, Mohale said.
The man’s 69-year-old wife also became ill on the ship and was medically evacuated to South Africa, where she later died in a Johannesburg hospital. Authorities have not yet confirmed the nationalities of the victims.
A third patient, a 69-year-old British national, was evacuated to Johannesburg and is receiving intensive care treatment.
Discussions are ongoing regarding the possible isolation in hospital of two other ill passengers in Cape Verde, after which the vessel would proceed to Spain’s Canary Islands.
The WHO stated it is facilitating coordination between national authorities and the ship’s operators to arrange the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers.
Hantaviruses are typically contracted by humans through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, bites, or inhalation of contaminated dust. Different strains exist worldwide and produce varying symptoms.