The World Health Organization said it suspects a hantavirus outbreak on an Atlantic cruise ship may have involved person-to-person transmission.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters on May 5 (local time) that “we think there may have been human-to-human transmission among very close contacts,” adding that the first patient may have been infected before boarding.
Hantavirus is typically spread through exposure to rodent urine, droppings or saliva. In rare cases, it can also spread between people.
According to the WHO, there have been two confirmed cases and five suspected cases linked to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which is currently in the territorial waters of Cabo Verde. Three people have died: a Dutch couple, ages 70 and 69, and a German national.
Reuters reported that the Dutch couple, the first fatalities, had traveled in South America, including Argentina, before boarding the MV Hondius, which departed from the southern tip of Argentina.
The WHO said Spain has decided to accept the ship, which has 147 passengers and crew aboard, and it is heading to Spain’s Canary Islands off West Africa.
The MV Hondius is a luxury cruise ship that departed in late March, carrying mainly passengers from the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain, and is reported to have visited remote areas including the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island.
The operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said that of the seven people confirmed or suspected to be infected, four — including the German who died and other suspected cases — remain on the ship. The Dutch couple died, and a British passenger is hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hantavirus was first identified in rodents near the Hantan River by the late South Korean virologist Lee Ho-wang.
Early symptoms can include fatigue, fever, chills and muscle aches that may feel like the flu. As the virus damages the heart, lungs and kidneys, it can lead to severe respiratory illness and organ failure.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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