Praia, Cape Verde. The World Health Organization said two cases of hantavirus have been confirmed and five more are suspected among people aboard the luxury cruise ship Hondius, which is being held in the Atlantic near Cape Verde. Around 150 people remain on the vessel off the coast of West Africa.
WHO update and reported cases
The WHO said in a statement late on Monday that the seven cases included three people who had died, one who was critically ill and three with mild symptoms.
Deaths and medical evacuation
Officials have said the three fatalities were a Dutch couple and a German national. They also said a British national was evacuated from the ship from Ascension and is being treated in South Africa.
Operator response and possible ports
“The atmosphere on board m/v Hondius remains calm, with passengers generally composed,” the ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said in a statement late on Monday. The company said it was working on getting passengers screened and disembarked, and was considering sailing to Spain’s Las Palmas or Tenerife.
Public health advice and Cape Verde request
The WHO reiterated its advice that the risk to the wider public was low from the disease, which is typically spread from infected rodents and only rarely passes between humans. Cape Verde has asked the ship to stay at sea as a precaution.
Timeline of illness on board
Oceanwide Expeditions said the first affected passenger, a Dutch man, died on April 11 as the ship steamed towards Tristan da Cunha, and his body remained on board until April 24, when it “was disembarked on St Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation.” The company said the man’s wife fell sick three days later and later died, while another passenger, a Briton, became “seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa.”
Laboratory confirmations
South African authorities have confirmed that the British patient being treated in a Johannesburg hospital tested positive for hantavirus. The Netherlands has confirmed the virus in the Dutch woman who died.
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