The World Health Organization said Sunday that three people have died aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, one a confirmed case of hantavirus, an illness usually transmitted from rodents to humans.
The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.
"To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the WHO told AFP.
"Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa."
Earlier Sunday, South Africa's health ministry told AFP there had been an outbreak of a "severe acute respiratory illness", which had killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg.
