Three people have died, and one is being treated in intensive care after the outbreak of a rare zoonotic virus on a cruise liner.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Sunday evening that a total of six cases of Hantavirus had been reported from a cruise liner in the Atlantic Ocean.
A Johannesburg hospital is reportedly treating one patient, with another patient dying in South Africa while being transferred to Europe.
Hantavirus is contracted through exposure to the bodily fluids and excrement of rats and mice.
“Hantavirus infections are zoonotic viruses typically transmitted to humans via infected rodents,” The Lancet stated.
Patient reportedly in Sandton
The WHO stated that one case had been laboratory confirmed, with the other five remaining suspected cases.
The cruise liner was reportedly travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. The crew and passengers are being monitored, with the two symptomatic individuals being prepared for medical evacuation.
“Of the six affected individuals, three have died, and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.
“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations,” the WHO stated.
Sky News reported that a patient was transferred from a hospital on the mid-Atlantic island of Ascension to a private facility in Sandton.
The publication added that one of the victims died on arrival in St Helena, with his 69-year-old wife dying in Johannesburg while en route back to the Netherlands.
The Department of Health was contacted for confirmation, and its response will be added when forthcoming.
Hantavirus
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that Hantavirus can cause one of two syndromes: haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
“Hantaviruses can infect and cause serious disease in people worldwide. People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice.
“HPS is a severe and potentially deadly disease that affects the lungs. HFRS is a severe and sometimes deadly disease that affects the kidneys,” according to the CDC.
Early symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and fatigue are easily confused with influenza.
