An outbreak of "severe acute respiratory illness" on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic has left two dead and a third person in intensive care in Johannesburg, the South African Ministry of Health told AFP on Sunday.
The outbreak began aboard the MV Hondius, which was sailing between Ushuaia, Argentina, and Cape Verde. The patient treated in Johannesburg tested positive for hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, said South African spokesman Foster Mohale. Hantaviruses are transmitted by rodents, particularly through contact with their urine, feces, and saliva, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"The WHO has been informed of cases of severe acute respiratory illness on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic," the World Health Organization (WHO) told AFP in Geneva. "Investigations and a coordinated international public health response are underway. We will share more information as soon as it becomes available."
The first person to develop symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger. He died on board the ship, and his body is currently on the island of St. Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, said South African spokesman Mohale. His 69-year-old wife also fell ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital, he added, noting that they were not yet able to confirm the nationalities of the victims. The third case, a 69-year-old British man, was also evacuated to Johannesburg, where he was being treated in intensive care.
The MV Hondius is listed as a polar cruise ship on the websites of several travel agencies. It is operated by a Netherlands-based travel agency, Oceanwide Expeditions. One of its cruises offers an itinerary from Ushuaia to Cape Verde, with stops at the islands of South Georgia and Saint Helena. According to several online ship tracking sites, the MV Hondius was off the coast of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
The ship can accommodate approximately 170 passengers and has some 70 crew members.
