Three dead due to possible hantavirus outbreak on a cruise between Argentina and Cape Verde
The MV Hondius ship coated the route between Ushuaia, in Argentina, and Cape Verde. On Sunday he was in entrance of the port of Praia, capital of Cape Verde, an AFP photographer and cameraman confirmed.
“The WHO was informed of a public health event related to a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean and is providing its support,” the UN company advised AFP.
“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been confirmed in the laboratory, and there are five other suspected cases. Of the six people affected, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa,” the WHO stated.
That passenger, a 69-year-old British citizen, was hospitalized in Johannesburg, stated a South African spokesman, Foster Mohale, who reviews to the Ministry of Health.
Hantaviruses are transmitted by rodents, significantly via contact with their urine, feces and saliva, in accordance to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Although rare, hantavirus can be transmitted from one person to another and cause serious respiratory illnesses,” the WHO stated.
“In-depth investigations are being carried out, especially additional laboratory analyzes and epidemiological investigations. The passengers and tribulation are receiving medical attention. Sequencing of the virus is also being carried out,” he added.
According to a supply conversant in the case, who requested to stay nameless, there can be a Dutch couple among the many three deceased. The third sufferer would nonetheless be on board the ship.
A 70-year-old passenger was the primary to develop signs. He died aboard the ship and his physique was deposited on Saint Helena Island, a British territory within the South Atlantic, Mohale defined.
His spouse, 69, additionally fell in poor health on board and was evacuated to South Africa. He died in a Johannesburg hospital, stated the spokesperson, who couldn’t point out the nationality of the victims.
Organize evacuation
According to the supply conversant in the case, talks are underway to determine on the switch of two different sick individuals to a hospital in Cape Verde, to be positioned in isolation, after which the ship might resume its route to the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, two or three days away.
For its half, the WHO indicated that it’s “facilitating coordination” between nations and ship operators to “organize the medical evacuation of two passengers with symptoms.” In addition, he praised “the speed of the measures taken and the good coordination between the parties involved.”
The MV Hondius seems as a polar cruise ship on the web sites of a number of journey businesses.
It is operated by a Netherlands-based firm, Oceanwide Expeditions.
One of the cruises affords an itinerary that departs from Ushuaia to Cape Verde, with stops on the islands of South Georgia and Saint Helena.
According to a number of ship monitoring websites, the MV Hondius was off the port of Praia, capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday. The ship has capability for about 170 passengers and a crew of about 70 members.
There are quite a few sorts of hantavirus. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP), “only one type of virus, extremely rare, can be transmitted from one person to another.”
© 2026 AFP
