Three people have died and a British national is in intensive care after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean, with the World Health Organisation describing the situation as a “public health event” as it coordinates an international response.
The outbreak was reported aboard the MV Hondius, a polar expedition cruise ship operated by Dutch-based company Oceanwide Expeditions, which departed from Ushuaia in Argentina on 20 March and was due to complete its journey in Cape Verde on 4 May. One case of hantavirus has been confirmed, with five further suspected cases under investigation, according to the WHO.
South African authorities, who spoke to the BBC, provided the most detailed account of how the outbreak unfolded. The first person to show symptoms was a 70-year-old male passenger who died on board the vessel. His body is now on the island of Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic. His 69-year-old wife subsequently fell ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa, where she later died in a Johannesburg hospital. A 69-year-old British national was also evacuated to Johannesburg and is currently being treated in intensive care.
Hantavirus infections are typically caused by exposure to urine, faeces or saliva from infected rodents, and the virus ordinarily does not spread easily between people. In rare cases, however, person-to-person transmission can occur, leading to severe respiratory illness. The circumstances of how passengers on board the MV Hondius were exposed to the virus have not yet been confirmed.
The WHO said it was coordinating between member states and the ship’s operators to facilitate the medical evacuation of two further symptomatic passengers, while also conducting a full public health risk assessment and providing support for those remaining on board. The MV Hondius is a 107.6 metre polar cruise ship with capacity for 170 passengers across 80 cabins.
Oceanwide Expeditions was approached for comment. The investigation into the source and extent of the outbreak is ongoing.
