Deaths on a luxury cruise ship
Hantavirus likely transmitted from person to person
Following an outbreak of hantavirus cases on the “MV Hondius” that has claimed three lives, the 140 passengers remain stranded on the cruise ship. Normally, the pathogen is transmitted through rodent droppings. However, in this case, experts believe the infection spread from person to person.
WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove stated on Tuesday that the Andean strain of the virus is suspected on the cruise ship. With this pathogen, infections between people through close contact are also possible, the epidemiologist explained.
Deceased couple likely contracted the virus on land
The small cruise ship in question had set sail from southern Argentina and is currently anchored off Cape Verde. The WHO suspects that the chain of infection originated with a Dutch couple who have since died and who may have been infected on land in Argentina before boarding the ship. Van Kerkhove noted that many passengers on the expedition cruise had engaged in wildlife viewing and similar activities.
No rats on board
Further transmission may then have occurred on board between people, for example in cabins, Van Kerkhove said. She did not rule out that the infections could also have originated from rodents on African islands visited during the cruise. According to the ship operator, there are no rats on board, the WHO expert said.
Medical transport is being arranged
So far, three passengers on the “MS Hondius” have died: an elderly Dutch couple and a German man. The WHO currently estimates a total of seven cases. Arrangements are currently being made to transport two patients from the ship to the Netherlands, Van Kerkhove said.
So far, hantaviruses have been definitively confirmed in only a small number of cases. Laboratory tests on the remaining infections and to determine the exact type of virus are ongoing.
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