<\/p>\n
WHO Chief of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Dr Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters in Geneva that seven of the 147 passengers plus crew have been reported ill, with three deaths confirmed, in what WHO described as a fluid situation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Van Kerkhove said one patient is in intensive care in South Africa, with clinical improvement reported. Two other patients still on board are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands for treatment. The vessel is currently off the coast of Cabo Verde, where medical teams are supporting onboard response measures.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in cabins while disinfection plus other public health measures are carried out. Van Kerkhove said medical evacuation remains the top priority for the two patients awaiting transfer. No additional symptomatic cases have been reported, while a third suspected case involving a mild fever was described as stable.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The ship is expected to continue to the Canary Islands, with cooperation underway with Spain to support a full epidemiological investigation plus comprehensive disinfection on arrival, alongside risk assessment for passengers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rodents carry Hantaviruses and can cause severe disease in humans, typically through exposure to infected rodents or contact with urine, droppings, plus saliva. Van Kerkhove said the initial patients, described as a married couple, boarded in Argentina, with the timing of the incubation period suggesting infection likely occurred off the ship. Van Kerkhove noted that expedition activities included wildlife exposure, plus stops at islands where rodent presence is common, leaving open the possibility of additional exposure during the voyage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Human-to-human transmission is uncommon, but limited spread among close contacts has been documented in past outbreaks linked to the Andes virus, a hantavirus variant. Van Kerkhove said supportive care is the main treatment approach, with respiratory support often required, plus intensive care for severe cases.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Van Kerkhove said WHO is working with ship operators plus countries of origin, with reassurance that safe return remains a central priority.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":33794,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-33793","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that passengers affected by a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected before boarding, while limited human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out, although such spread is considered rare.","published_date":"","news_description":" The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that passengers affected by a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected before boarding, while limited human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out, although such spread is considered rare.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33802,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33793\/revisions\/33802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=33793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}