CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including an elderly couple, and has sickened at least three others, according to statements from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the South Africa's Department of Health released on Sunday.
The WHO confirmed that an investigation is in progress, with at least one case of hantavirus officially recognized. Among the affected, one patient is currently in intensive care in a South African hospital. The health agency is collaborating with authorities to evacuate two additional individuals exhibiting symptoms from the cruise ship.
The cruise ship, operated by a Dutch company, is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation located off the western coast of Africa. Local authorities have intervened, preventing anyone from disembarking the vessel. The company reported that the two passengers in need of urgent medical care are crew members.
Hantavirus infections primarily spread through contact with the urine or droppings of infected rodents, including rats and mice. The diseases caused by hantaviruses, which are found globally, gained public attention when Betsy Arakawa, wife of the late actor Gene Hackman, died from an infection in New Mexico the previous year. Hackman passed away shortly after her from heart disease.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified two significant syndromes related to hantavirus: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which severely impacts the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a serious illness affecting the kidneys. Although rare, infections can also be transmitted between humans. There is no specific cure, but early medical intervention significantly increases chances of survival.
According to a statement from WHO, "WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological assessments. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew." Additionally, virus sequencing is continuing.
The cruise, which commenced in Argentina approximately three weeks ago, included stops in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and is set to traverse to Spain's Canary Islands across the Atlantic. The first confirmed victim was a 70-year-old man who died aboard the ship; his body was subsequently removed in the British territory of Saint Helena. Following this, his wife collapsed at an airport in South Africa while attempting to return to their home country of the Netherlands and died shortly after at a nearby hospital.
The health department identified the individual in intensive care at a Johannesburg hospital as a British national who became ill near Ascension Island, another isolated island in the Atlantic. This individual had been evacuated from the ship after it departed from Saint Helena.
At the time of the outbreak, approximately 150 tourists were onboard the ship. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, categorized as a specialist polar cruise ship, typically includes around 70 crew members. Oceanwide Expeditions, the operating company, stated that the third victim's body remains onboard the vessel in Cape Verde, with a priority placed on ensuring medical care for the two ailing crew members.
The local health authorities have boarded the vessel to evaluate the conditions of the symptomatic individuals, and no decision has yet been made regarding their transfer to medical facilities in Cape Verde. WHO is currently working with national authorities and the cruise operators to perform a "full public health risk assessment" while offering support to those still aboard the ship. Meanwhile, South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases is actively tracing contacts in the Johannesburg area to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the infected passengers.
