Three passengers have died and three others remain ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina three weeks ago with approximately 150 passengers and traveled through Antarctica, the Falklands, and multiple remote Atlantic islands. One case in a U.K. passenger has been confirmed for hantavirus, which typically spreads through rodent contact and kills more than a third of U.S. patients when it causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The ship remains stranded off Cape Verde after authorities assessed but denied disembarkation, while the World Health Organization coordinates evacuation of two symptomatic crew members and one patient remains in intensive care in South Africa. The outbreak is particularly unusual given that hantavirus rarely spreads person-to-person and is not typically associated with maritime settings.
Story comments
Loading comments…