BBC World reports: Hantavirus may have spread between passengers on cruise ship, WHO says47 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleIan AikmanandKathryn ArmstrongWatch: Inside the cruise ship at the centre of the hantavirus outbreakThe World Health Organization says there may have been rare human-to-human transmission of hantavirus on the Dutch cruise ship where three passengers have died.The virus is usually spread from rodents, but the WHO said in this instance it could have spread among "really close contacts" aboard the MV Hondius vessel. It stressed the risk to the public was low.Two crew members - one British and one Dutch - are due to be medically evacuated by aircraft to the Netherlands after displaying "acute respiratory symptoms", the ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.MV Hondius set sail from Argentina on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean around a month ago.
It is currently anchored near Cape Verde, off Africa's west coast.Medical teams from Cape Verde, supported by the WHO, have boarded the ship to help with the suspected cases, spokesperson Tarik Yasarevic told the BBC. Testing is taking place for other passengers and crew members who are displaying symptoms. Images taken from on board the cruise ship show workers in hazmat suits in a smaller vessel alongside.Some 149 people from 23 countries remain aboard under "strict precautionary measures", Oceanwide said.They include around 20 British nationals, according to a UK government spokesperson."We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts," WHO official Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said.She added that the WHO suspected the first person to fall ill could have contracted the virus before boarding the ship.
Background
Seven cases of hantavirus - two confirmed and five suspected - have so far been identified, according to the latest WHO update.A person "associated" with the German national who died is due to be medically evacuated alongside the two crew members.The two confirmed cases are a Dutch woman, who is among those who died, and a 69-year-old UK national who was evacuated to South Africa for medical treatment. The woman's husband also died but he is not a confirmed case, nor is the German national who passed away on 2 May.Watch: What is hantavirus? Cruise ship outbreak explainedIn a statement, the Dutch couple's family said: "The beautiful journey they experienced together was abruptly and permanently cut short.""We are still unable to comprehend that we have lost them.
Key facts
- Testing is taking place for other passengers and crew members who are displaying symptoms.
- The woman's husband also died but he is not a confirmed case, nor is the German national who passed away on 2 May.Watch: What is hantavirus?
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What this means
That would include providing medical attention, analysis and disinfection.They would not say whether passengers would be allowed to disembark.Though they cannot yet leave the ship, one passenger told the BBC on Monday that the mood on the vessel was "pretty good"."Hopefully the other patients on board will be tested soon and then we'll know what's going on," the passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, added.Another passenger, travel vlogger Jake Rosmarin, said in a social media post: "There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home."With additional reporting by Pumza FihlaniSecond hantavirus case confirmed after deaths on cruise shipAre you on the ship or do you know someone who is?
If you feel able to do so, please get in touch by using this link or the form below.HealthCruise shipsCape VerdeOutbreaksAfrica
Originally reported by BBC World. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
