THREE DIE ON CRUISE SHIP AFTER RARE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. The patient being treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. (Photo by AFP)
By: Muftau Fatimo
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that three people have died aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic following an outbreak involving a rare virus, with one case confirmed to be hantavirus — an illness typically transmitted from rodents to humans.
The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, which was sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde.
According to the WHO, “one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases.”
It added that of the six affected individuals, three have died, while one patient is currently receiving intensive care in South Africa.
Earlier Sunday, South Africa’s health ministry told AFP 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 hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said.
In its statement, the WHO said: “Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to infected rodents’ urine or faeces).
“Although rare, hantavirus can in some cases spread between people and may cause severe respiratory illness, requiring close patient monitoring, supportive care, and coordinated response,” the statement noted.
The first patient to show symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger who died on board the vessel. His body is currently on Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, according to South African spokesperson Mohale.
His 69-year-old wife also became ill during the voyage and was evacuated to South Africa, where she later died in a Johannesburg hospital. Authorities said the victims’ nationalities have not yet been confirmed.
A third patient, a 69-year-old British man, was also evacuated to Johannesburg, where he is receiving intensive care treatment.
A source close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said a Dutch couple were among the dead. The third fatality was still on board the ship.
Discussions were underway to decide whether two other sick passengers should be placed in isolation in a hospital in Cape Verde, after which the ship would continue to Spain’s Canary Islands, the anonymous source said.
The WHO said it was “facilitating coordination” between national authorities and the ship’s operators to organise the medical evacuation of two passengers with symptoms.
The MV Hondius is listed as a polar cruise ship on the websites of several travel agencies. It is operated by a Dutch-based tour company, Oceanwide Expeditions.
One of the cruises offers an itinerary departing from Ushuaia for Cape Verde, with stops in the islands of South Georgia and Saint Helena.
According to several online ship-tracking sites, the MV Hondius was just off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
The vessel can accommodate around 170 passengers and has some 70 crew members.
Humans can catch hantaviruses from contact with infected mice or rats or their droppings, or being bitten or inhaling contaminated dust. There are multiple types of hantaviruses in different parts of the world, with different symptoms.
AFP contacted the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions, but has not yet had a reply.
AFP
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