Key Takeaway:
- Three cruise passengers died amid suspected hantavirus cases; one infection confirmed and five remain under investigation.
- One patient is in intensive care, while health authorities and WHO continue probing the outbreak’s source.
- Hantavirus spreads mainly through rodent exposure and can cause severe, sometimes fatal respiratory illness.
Three passengers aboard an expedition cruise ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean have died after suspected infections, the World Health Organization said Sunday, as health officials investigate the outbreak and monitor additional hantavirus cases linked to the voyage.
Health authorities are examining a cluster of illnesses linked to the Dutch-operated cruise vessel m/v Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, while one patient remains in intensive care and two others require urgent medical attention.
WHO Confirms Cases As Investigation Continues
The World Health Organization said May 3 that one hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed among six affected individuals connected to the voyage. Five additional cases remain under investigation.
“Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa,” the agency said in a statement posted on X. WHO added that it is continuing to assess the situation and potential public health risks associated with these hantavirus cases.
Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that three passengers died during the voyage from Argentina to Cape Verde, including two deaths aboard the vessel and one following disembarkation.
The company described the incident as a “serious medical situation” and said medical teams responded immediately. One passenger was medically evacuated and later tested positive for a strain of hantavirus.
“At this stage, it has not been established whether hantavirus is linked to the three deaths connected to this voyage,” the operator said. “Hantavirus has not been confirmed in the two symptomatic individuals currently on board.”
Reuters, citing a Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesperson, reported that two of the deceased passengers were Dutch nationals. Officials did not release further details about the victims.
Cruise Operator Responds To Medical Emergency
The expedition vessel was sailing across the Atlantic when the illnesses emerged among passengers. Oceanwide Expeditions said it is cooperating with international health authorities while investigations continue.
The company noted that enhanced medical monitoring and safety protocols were implemented onboard following the discovery of suspected infections. Passengers requiring urgent care remain under observation as the ship proceeds under medical supervision, with authorities closely tracking potential hantavirus cases.
WHO officials are working with national health agencies to determine whether the virus spread occurred onboard or before embarkation. Authorities have not identified a confirmed source of exposure.
Health experts emphasized that confirmation of hantavirus as the cause of death requires further laboratory analysis.
Experts Explain Hantavirus Risks And Symptoms
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes hantaviruses as a family of viruses primarily transmitted through exposure to infected rodents, including contact with their urine, droppings or saliva. Transmission between people is rare but possible in certain strains.
WHO warned that hantavirus infections can lead to severe respiratory illness requiring intensive monitoring and supportive care.
According to the CDC, hantaviruses may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which affects the lungs, or hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which affects the kidneys.
Early symptoms often include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, followed by coughing and shortness of breath as fluid builds in the lungs. Kidney-related illness can cause severe headaches, abdominal pain and, in advanced cases, shock or kidney failure.
Health officials say hantavirus pulmonary syndrome carries an estimated fatality rate of about 38 percent among patients who develop respiratory symptoms. Fatality rates for kidney-related illness vary widely depending on the virus strain.
WHO has not specified which form of hantavirus may be involved in the cruise incident but noted respiratory complications among affected patients.
Investigators continue monitoring passengers and reviewing medical histories as authorities seek to determine the origin of the outbreak and prevent additional hantavirus cases.
