PRAIA, Cape Verde (Agencies) - A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has killed three people and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday (May 3).
The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.
"To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," WHO told AFP.
"Of the six affected individuals, three have died, and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa."
Hantavirus is spread by contact with the urine or faeces of infected rodents like rats and mice. It can lead to serious respiratory illness, the WHO said.
The virus gained attention after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year.
The MV Hondius had left Argentina around three weeks ago for a cruise that included visits to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other stops on the way to Spain's Canary Islands on the other side of the Atlantic.
The first person to develop symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger.
He died on board the ship and his body was currently on the island of Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, Mohale, the South African spokesman said.
His 69-year-old wife also fell ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital, he said, adding that they were not yet able to confirm the victims’ nationalities.
The third case, a 69-year-old Briton, was also evacuated to Johannesburg, where he was being treated in intensive care.
A source close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said a Dutch couple were among the dead. The third fatality was still on board the ship.
Discussions were underway to decide whether two other sick passengers should be placed in isolation in hospital in Cape Verde, after which the ship would continue to Spain's Canary Islands, the anonymous source said.
WHO said it was "facilitating coordination" between national authorities and the ship's operators to organise the medical evacuation of two passengers with symptoms.
While rare, the WHO said hantavirus infections can be spread between people. It can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus infections, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.
“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.”
The MV Hondius is listed as a polar cruise ship on the websites of several travel agencies. It is operated by a Dutch-based tour company, Oceanwide Expeditions.
According to several online ship-tracking sites, the MV Hondius was just off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
Around 150 tourists were onboard the ship at the time of the outbreak, South Africa's health department said.
The ship usually travels with around 70 crew members, according to several online tour operators.