Where has the deadly hantavirus come from and how does it spread?

The cruise ship MV Hondius is anchored off the coast of Cape VerdeAFP/Getty Images

Three people with suspected hantavirus have been evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, following an outbreak that has killed three passengers. The evacuees will be given medical care in the Netherlands.

The ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April and followed an itinerary across the South Atlantic, with stops at Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena and Ascension Island.

Two people have died on the ship, and a third person died in South Africa two days after disembarking in Saint Helena. A British man who was also on the ship remains in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A man in Switzerland who left the ship at the end of April has also reportedly tested positive for hantavirus after experiencing symptoms. Two British people who were on the ship but don’t have symptoms are self-isolating at home, the UK Health Security Agency has said.