A suspected outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has resulted in three deaths and at least three other people falling ill, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and South Africa’s health department confirmed on Sunday.
The victims include a Dutch husband and wife, aged 70 and 69, and a third unidentified person. The man died on the island of Saint Helena, while his wife died at a hospital in Kempton Park, South Africa. A 69-year-old British man who tested positive for hantavirus is being treated at a private health facility in Johannesburg.
The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, operated by Dutch tour company Oceanwide Expeditions. The ship was travelling between Argentina and Cape Verde and was off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde, on Sunday. Local health authorities assessed two symptomatic individuals, but the ship was not authorised to disembark them in Cape Verde.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with urine or faeces from infected rodents. It can cause severe lung or kidney disease, and while rare, human-to-human transmission is possible. There is no specific treatment, but early medical care improves survival chances.
Oceanwide Expeditions said two crew members require urgent medical care and the third fatality remains onboard. Dutch authorities are coordinating repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals and the deceased to the Netherlands. The WHO is facilitating coordination for medical evacuation of two passengers.
The UK Foreign Office stated it is monitoring the situation and ready to support British nationals if needed. The MV Hondius can accommodate about 170 passengers and 70 crew members, and is listed as a polar cruise ship.
