Three people have died and another is in intensive care in South Africa after a suspected outbreak of the rare but deadly hantavirus on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that of the six people on the ship exhibiting symptoms, only one of the cases had been confirmed on the vessel, a Dutch cruise liner called the MV Hondius.
On Monday, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed four Australians were among 88 passengers and 68 crew aboard the ship.
On Monday, Oceanwide Expeditions said the ship was off the coast of Cape Verde, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa, and laid out a timeline of the medical situation.
It said a Dutch passenger died on April 11 and his wife left the ship with his body at St Helena on April 24 but three days later the woman became unwell and died on the return journey. South Africa’s Department of Health identified the husband as a 70-year-old man.
That same day, a British passenger still on board became “seriously ill” and was medically evacuated to South Africa, where he remained in a critical but stable condition in a Johannesburg intensive care unit.
Oceanwide Expeditions said a variant of hantavirus had been identified in that patient but stressed the Dutch couple’s deaths had not been confirmed as “connected to the current medical situation on board.”
A third passenger, from Germany, died on May 2 but a cause was yet to be established, it said, adding that two crew members needed “urgent attention” for “acute respiratory systems”, which were mild in one of the workers and severe in the other.
“Hantavirus has not currently been confirmed in the two persons still on board who require medical care,” Oceanwide Expeditions said.
“Nor has it been established that the virus is connected to the three deaths associated with this voyage. The exact cause and any possible connection are being investigated.
“Therefore, the only confirmed case of hantavirus is the passenger who was medically evacuated and is now being treated in Johannesburg.”
Oceanwide Expeditions said it was working closely with the WHO, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while preparing for “possible medical repatriation and next steps”.
” The option of sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife are being considered to be the gateway for disembarkation, where further medical screening and handling could take place,” the company said.
“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.”
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