Praia: Seven more people on the cruise ship have been found to be infected with the Hantavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed two cases of Hantavirus infection on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, with five more suspected cases, bringing the total to seven. The cruise ship remains anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation in central Africa.
According to Thai News Agency, the World Health Organization and Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the cruise ship MV Hondius, have revealed that two confirmed cases of Hantavirus infection have been found, along with five suspected cases, bringing the total to seven. Three fatalities have been reported: an elderly Dutch couple and a German national. Of the remaining four patients, one is in critical condition and receiving treatment in the ICU in South Africa, while the other three have mild symptoms.
April 11 marked the beginning of the outbreak when a Dutch man died on the ship while en route to Tristan da Cunha Island. The body was later sent to the island of Saint Helena on April 24, with the man's wife disembarking to arrange for the repatriation of the body. On April 27, the wife of the first fatality and another British passenger began to show serious symptoms. The wife later died at a hospital in South Africa, while the British passenger was admitted to the ICU in Johannesburg and confirmed to have the Hantavirus. On May 2, a German passenger died on the ship, and two crew members began to show symptoms of acute respiratory distress.
The cruise ship MV Hondeus, carrying approximately 150 passengers and crew from 23 nationalities including Americans, Britons, Spaniards, and Australians, is currently anchored off the coast of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. The cruise ship operator is considering continuing on to the Canary Islands of Spain if it does not receive permission from Cape Verdean authorities to disembark the sick. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization confirms that the risk to the general public remains low, as the virus does not easily spread between people, and there is no need to declare global travel restrictions at this time.
Hantavirus is typically spread from rats to humans through contact with the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rats, or by inhaling contaminated dust. This ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina in mid-March, an area where some strains of Hantavirus, such as the Andes strain, can spread from person to person, although this is very rare.