A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has resulted in three deaths, including an elderly married couple, while at least three other individuals have fallen ill, according to the World Health Organization and South Africa Department of Health on Sunday.
The Dutch operator of the vessel reported that the ship is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, where local authorities are providing assistance but have not permitted passengers or crew to disembark.
The company added that two crew members onboard who require urgent medical attention are among those affected.
Hantaviruses, found worldwide, are typically transmitted through exposure to urine or faeces of infected rodents such as rats and mice.
The virus drew wider attention after Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Gene Hackman, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year.
Hackman died around a week later at their home from heart disease.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hantaviruses can cause two severe illnesses: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which affects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which impacts the kidneys.
Although infections are uncommon, the WHO noted that person-to-person transmission is possible in some cases. There is currently no specific cure or treatment, but early medical care can improve survival outcomes.
“WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean,” the organisation said. “Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing.”
South Africa’s health authorities said the vessel, the MV Hondius, departed Argentina about three weeks ago for a voyage that included stops in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and other destinations. The cruise was scheduled to conclude in Canary Islands.
The first fatality was a 70-year-old man who died onboard, with his body later removed in Saint Helena, according to officials. His wife later collapsed at an airport in South Africa while attempting to return to the Netherlands and died in a nearby hospital.
Authorities said a British national is currently in intensive care at a hospital in Johannesburg. The individual reportedly became ill near Ascension Island after the ship departed Saint Helena and was subsequently transferred to South Africa for treatment.
At the time of the outbreak, around 150 passengers were onboard, while the vessel typically carries approximately 70 crew members, according to tour operators. The cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, confirmed that the body of the third victim remains onboard in Cape Verde and stated that priority is being given to treating the two ill crew members.
“Local health authorities have visited the vessel to assess the condition of the two symptomatic individuals,” the company said. “They are yet to make a decision regarding the transfer of these individuals into medical care in Cape Verde.”
The WHO said it is collaborating with national authorities and the ship’s operator to carry out a “full public health risk assessment” while providing support to those still onboard.
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases is conducting contact tracing in the Johannesburg area to determine whether others may have been exposed to infected passengers.
In remarks to The Associated Press, the WHO confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that at least one hantavirus case has been verified. The agency added that one patient remains in intensive care in South Africa and efforts are underway to evacuate two additional symptomatic individuals from the vessel.
