WHO suspects human-to-human transmission after cruise hantavirus outbreak kills 3
What's the story
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there may have been some human-to-human transmission after a hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius cruise ship killed three and left several others sick. The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is currently off the coast of West Africa with nearly 150 people stranded on it. The victims include a Dutch couple and a German national.
WHO
Virus does not spread like flu or like COVID
"We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can't be ruled out so as a precaution this is what we are assuming," Dr. Maria Van Kerhove, WHO's director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters. However, she assured that "The risk to the general public is low." "This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID. It's quite different."
Outbreak details
Voyage from Argentina to Portugal
The MV Hondius had embarked from Ushuaia, Argentina, last month for an Atlantic voyage. During the journey, passengers started falling ill with a rapidly progressing respiratory illness. So far, seven cases of hantavirus have have been identified, with two confirmed and five suspected. Hantavirus is a rare disease typically caused by contact with infected rodents' urine, faeces or saliva.
Health protocols
How it spreads
Humans can contract hantavirus by inhaling particles from dried rodent droppings or touching contaminated objects and then touching their mouth or nose. The disease initially presents flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever, chills, and aches. As it progresses, patients may experience severe shortness of breath, organ failure, and even death due to damage to the heart or lungs.
Evacuation efforts
Passengers being evacuated
A British national is in intensive care in South Africa but is improving. Two others with hantavirus symptoms are still on board the ship and are being evacuated. The evacuation will be done using two specially equipped aircraft with trained medical personnel, Oceanwide Expeditions said. After their evacuation, the ship will head to the Canary Islands for a full epidemiological investigation and disinfection by Spanish authorities.
Victim profiles
Two deaths onboard ship
The first suspected case was a 70-year-old Dutchman who died onboard on April 11. His wife, also Dutch, collapsed at an airport in South Africa and tested positive for a variant of hantavirus. A German national with pneumonia died onboard on May 2. Two crew members are experiencing acute respiratory symptoms but have not been confirmed to have hantavirus.