Seven cases of deadly hantavirus confirmed or suspected on stranded cruise ship
Three people have died, one is critically ill, while another three have mild symptoms, says the World Health Organization.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
Two cases of the deadly hantavirus have been confirmed, and five more are suspected among people who were on a luxury cruise ship now held in the Atlantic near Cape Verde, the World Health Organization said in its most detailed update on the outbreak.
Around 150 people are still stuck on the Hondius, which was carrying mostly British, American and Spanish passengers on a trip that set off from Argentina in March and is now off the coast of West Africa.
The seven cases included three people who had died, one who was critically ill and three with mild symptoms, the WHO said in a statement late on Monday (May 4).
The three fatalities were a Dutch couple and a German national, and a British national was evacuated from the ship from Ascension and is being treated in South Africa, officials have said.
RISK TO WIDER PUBLIC LOW, SAYS WHO
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
"The atmosphere on board MV Hondius remains calm, with passengers generally composed", the ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said in a statement late on Monday. It said it was working on getting the passengers screened and disembarked, and was considering sailing to Spain's Las Palmas or Tenerife.
The UN health body reiterated its advice that the risk to the wider public was low from the disease typically spread from infected rodents that only rarely passes between humans.
Cape Verde - an island nation off the coast of West Africa - has asked the ship to stay at sea as a precaution.
The first stricken passenger, the Dutch man, died on Apr 11 as the ship steamed towards Tristan da Cunha. His body remained on board until Apr 24, when it "was disembarked on St Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation", Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Three days later, the man's wife also fell sick and later died, while another passenger, a Briton, became "seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa", the company said.
South African authorities have confirmed that the British patient, who is being treated in a Johannesburg hospital, tested positive for the hantavirus. The Netherlands has confirmed the virus in the Dutch woman who died.
Data from maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic shows the ship had been visiting some of the most remote places on Earth, including Tristan da Cunha, an island in the south Atlantic between Argentina and South Africa.
The Hondius left Ushuaia in southern Argentina in March, according to company documentation, on a voyage marketed as an Antarctic nature expedition, with berth prices ranging from 14,000 to 22,000 euros (US$16,000 to US$25,000).
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app