Wednesday, May 6, 2026 - A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has left three people de@d, including an elderly couple, and at least three others ill, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and South Africa’s health authorities.
In a statement to The Associated Press, WHO said an
investigation was underway but that at least one case of hantavirus had been
confirmed. One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African
hospital, the U.N. health agency said, and it was working with authorities to
evacuate two others with symptoms from the ship.
The Dutch company that operates the cruise said the ship was
now sitting off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa’s west
coast, and local authorities were assisting but had not allowed anyone to
disembark. It said the two sick people on board requiring urgent medical care
were crew members.
Two of those who d!ed were a husband and wife aged 70 and 69
from the Netherlands.
The South African health ministry said the man fell ill on
board the ship and d!ed on the island of Saint Helena, while his wife died at a
hospital in Kempton Park, a city in South Africa.
A British man, 69, who became ill on the ship was taken to a
private health facility in Johannesburg, according to the South African health
ministry, which said he tested positive for hantavirus.
Hantavirus is usually caught through contact with urine or
faeces from infected rodents.
Hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes, according to the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a
severe disease that affects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal
syndrome, a severe disease that affects the kidneys.
While rare, hantavirus infections could be spread between
people, the WHO said. There was no specific treatment or cure, but early
medical attention could increase the chance of survival.
“WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event
involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean,” the organisation
said. “Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory
testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being
provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing.”
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