Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, reportedly from hantavirus. The dangerous Andes strain has been confirmed in two cases. What are the symptoms, and how is it transmitted?
On a cruise ship sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde, three passengers—a Dutch couple and a German woman—have died following a suspected hantavirus outbreak. The virus has been confirmed in another passenger. According to media reports, the 69-year-old is receiving intensive care treatment in South Africa. Several crew members are also seriously ill. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates a total of eight hantavirus cases, three of which have been confirmed so far.
How and where exactly the travelers were infected remains unclear.
"The risk to the general public remains low," the WHO Regional Office for Europe said in a press release on Monday. "There is no reason for panic or travel restrictions."
On Wednesday, it was reported that the deceased Dutch woman and the patient currently being treated in South Africa were infected with the Andes virus. Although rare, this is the only strain of hantavirus known to spread from person to person, and it has a higher mortality rate than most others.
