Three passengers have died aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.
Hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus that can cause fatal respiratory illness. It rarely spreads between people and has no specific cure.
Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak
Three people on the Netherlands-based cruise ship, the MV Hondius, died in a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection.
Two of the deceased were a couple aged 70 and 69 from the Netherlands. The man died on the ship and his body was removed to the island of Saint Helena, while his wife died later at a hospital in South Africa, the South African health department said in a statement.
According to media reports, the cruise ship left Argentina three weeks ago with 150 passengers and 70 crew members on board. Its ultimate destination was Spain’s Canary Islands on the other side of the Atlantic.
The cruise ship made stops in the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands, and other locations on its way to Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic west of Africa, where the Dutch company operating the ship said it was “managing a serious medical situation.”
WHO Action
Commenting on reports about the infection, WHO said it “is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.”
“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa,” it said in a statement.
The South African health department identified the patient in intensive care as a British national.
“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing,” WHO said.
The UN health agency added that it is facilitating coordination with national authorities and the ship’s operators to organize the medical evacuation of two passengers with symptoms. It is also facilitating “full public health risk assessment and support to the remaining passengers on board.”
What is Hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily found in rodents, such as mice, rats and voles, but can infect humans. The virus spreads by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne.
In its statement, WHO said that hantavirus is linked to environmental exposure to infected rodents’ urine or faeces. It can also spread between people in rare cases and cause serious respiratory illness.
“While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response,” the agency said.
The disease gained global attention last year after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico.
Main Symptoms
The disease begins with flu-like symptoms and can cause severe lung and heart illness, with around 40% of cases resulting in death.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe disease that affects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a severe disease that affects the kidneys.
Hantaviruses are divided into two strains: old world hantaviruses, found in Europe and Asia, and new world hantaviruses, found in the Americas, the Guardian reported.
The old world types primarily cause kidney-related illness (HFRS), while the new world types generally cause respiratory distress (HPS). Each is transmitted by specific regional rodent hosts.
The most common type in South America is the Andes virus, which is primarily spread by the long-tailed pygmy rice rat and is the only strain to reportedly have person-to-person transmission, CDC noted.
