Misryoum reports WHO confirmed 2 hantavirus cases and suspects 5 more aboard a stranded cruise ship near Cape Verde.
A cluster of suspected hantavirus infections is unfolding aboard a stranded cruise ship in the Atlantic, prompting confirmed cases and renewed contact-tracing efforts, according to Misryoum.
The WHO says two hantavirus cases have been confirmed and five additional people are suspected among those who became ill on the MV Hondius, a vessel held near the waters off Cape Verde.. In total, seven cases are being tracked, with three deaths reported among them, one person described as critically ill, and three others showing mild symptoms.. The focus_keyphrase here is hantavirus on cruise ship, which matters because outbreaks like this can spread fear quickly, even when the wider public risk is considered limited.
Misryoum reports that at least 147 passengers and crew remain on board. The ship is carrying mostly British, American, and Spanish travelers after departing from Argentina in March, and it has been stuck off West Africa while public health teams work through the situation.
Officials also noted that the fatalities included a Dutch couple and a German national. A British national was evacuated from the ship from Ascension and treated in South Africa, while the WHO reiterated that the risk to the wider public is low because the virus only rarely passes between humans.
In this context, Misryoum says the WHO is working to identify potential exposures linked to travel connected to one of the deaths. Contact tracing has been initiated for passengers on a flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg taken by the Dutch woman who died of the hantavirus.
Meanwhile, the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, told Misryoum that the mood aboard remains calm, with passengers generally composed. The company said it is working to have travelers screened and disembarked, and is considering options including sailing to Spain’s Las Palmas or Tenerife.
Misryoum reports that the WHO said Spain would welcome the ship to support an investigation and assessment of risk for those still on board.. The UN health body also indicated that the ship would head for the Canary Islands, with Spanish authorities preparing to support a full epidemiologic review and disinfection.
The operator further said Dutch authorities are preparing medical evacuation for two symptomatic people on board, along with another person linked to a guest who died earlier in the outbreak.. Misryoum notes that the first confirmed victim, a Dutch man, died on April 11, and his body remained on board until it was disembarked in St Helena weeks later.
Why it matters now is the combination of confirmed disease, ongoing suspected cases, and the logistical challenge of screening a large group while the ship remains in limbo. Even with a low wider-public risk, each step of investigation can shape what comes next for passengers and crew.
Misryoum reports that the WHO said the Dutch woman’s health deteriorated during travel to Johannesburg, where she died after arriving at an emergency department.. Separately, South African authorities confirmed that the British patient treated in a Johannesburg hospital tested positive for the hantavirus, while the Netherlands confirmed the Dutch woman’s case.. The WHO describes the illness as typically spread through contact with infected rodents’ urine, faeces, or saliva, with symptoms that can progress quickly from fever and gastrointestinal issues to more severe respiratory complications.