on PinterestThree passengers have died and several others have fallen ill aboard a cruise ship in a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
on PinterestThree passengers have died and several others have fallen ill aboard a cruise ship in a deadly hantavirus outbreak. AFP via Getty Images
- A cluster of three deaths among cruise ship passengers has raised concerns about a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
- A suspected 7 cases have been identified as investigators are working to determine whether the deaths are linked to hantavirus.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that the risk to the general public is low.
Three people have died and several others have fallen ill aboard a Dutch cruise ship in what appears to be a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
The MV Hondius, a cruise liner operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, is currently located in the waters near Praia, Cape Verde, a small archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. Officials in Cape Verde have refused to allow the ship to dock over fears that the suspected outbreak might spread to shore.
A married Dutch couple and a German national who were passengers on the ship have died. A British national aboard the ship was evacuated and is being treated in South Africa. That passenger was the first to be diagnosed with hantavirus infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that seven cases of hantavirus have been identified — two confirmed “laboratory cases” and five suspected cases. At this time, two of the three deaths have been linked to hantavirus.
The WHO, which is managing the outbreak, maintains that the risk to the general public is low.
Hantavirus cases in humans are rare. A recent case that made headlines involved the death of Betsy Arakawa, wife of acclaimed actor Gene Hackman, who was discovered dead in their New Mexico home in April 2024. While Arakawa’s cause of death was attributed to hantavirus, Hackman died of Alzheimer’s.
While hantavirus infection is uncommon, it is often fatal. The onset typically begins with nonspecific, flu-like symptoms. Infection is most often transmitted through exposure to rodents’ urine or feces. Although human-to-human transmission is possible with a specific viral strain, such cases are exceptionally rare.
Steven Bradfute, PhD, an associate professor at the said the situation aboard the cruise ship was unusual.
“Usually you have isolated cases, so to hear about a cruise ship with multiple people being infected was definitely not something on our radar,” he told Healthline.
Roughly 150 people, including passengers and crew, from more than 20 nations, still remain aboard. The ship may next be bound for the islands of Las Palmas or Tenerife, farther north on the African coast, in hopes of allowing passengers to disembark and undergo medical screening.
“[We are] working closely with local and international authorities,” said Oceanwide Expeditions in a statement on May 4.
“Strict precautionary measures are in process on board, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring. All passengers have been informed and are being supported. Oceanwide Expeditions is in close contact with those directly involved and their families, and is providing support where possible.”
Timeline of the hantavirus outbreak at sea
The incubation period for
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