Three people have died from hantavirus infection aboard a cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating the possibility of human-to-human transmission among close contacts on board.
According to a France 24 report on Wednesday (local time), the WHO announced that two passengers on the cruise ship tested positive for hantavirus and five were classified as suspected cases. Three of the seven have died, and one is in critical condition.
The WHO is particularly examining the possibility that human-to-human transmission occurred among close contacts on the affected cruise ship.
"We do think that there has been likely human-to-human transmission in very close contact people," said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention. She also explained that the initial infected person may have already been infected with hantavirus before boarding the cruise ship.
The WHO is currently focused on evacuating the two confirmed patients while allowing the vessel, anchored in the Atlantic near Cape Verde, to continue its journey to the Canary Islands. The agency assessed that the risk of further spread remains low.
The WHO also said it is attempting to contact passengers on a flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg on the 25th of last month, which was taken by a cruise ship passenger who died on the 26th.
"A total of seven cases (two laboratory-confirmed and five suspected) have been identified, with three deaths as of the 4th, one in critical condition, and three with mild symptoms," the WHO said, explaining that the outbreak occurred on the cruise ship traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde in West Africa between the 6th and 28th of last month.
"Symptoms are characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock. Further investigations are currently underway," it added.
The WHO assessed the risk to the global population from this hantavirus outbreak as "low" but said it would continue to monitor the situation.
Hantavirus is estimated to cause approximately 150,000 cases worldwide each year. In the United States, 864 cases were reported between 1993 and 2022, primarily occurring in states such as New Mexico and Colorado. Small-scale infections continue to be reported in some regions recently.
Last year, interest in the disease rose significantly after it was revealed that the wife of Hollywood actor Gene Hackman had died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Experts stress that "hantavirus is a treatable disease when diagnosed early" and that "early response determines survival rates." However, there is no definitive treatment to date, and supportive care such as fluid therapy after hospitalization is the main treatment. If respiratory failure occurs, ventilator treatment may be required, and dialysis may be performed if accompanied by kidney failure.
The MV Hondius currently carries 147 people from 23 countries, including passengers from the UK, Spain, and the US, as well as crew members from the Philippines.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship's operator, said in a statement that one British passenger is receiving intensive care in Johannesburg, and that one British national and two Dutch crew members require "urgent medical services."
Three of the confirmed cases are no longer on board, while four remain on the ship, including a German national who died on the 2nd.
The first fatalities were a Dutch couple. According to the operator, the husband died on board on the 11th of last month, and the wife died after disembarking at Saint Helena to accompany her husband's body.
Hantavirus infection primarily occurs through contact with urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents. The WHO explained that human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare but can be severe and fatal, and that cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported in the past.
