The South African Health Department has said there is no need for the public to panic after three passengers died from the rodent-borne hantavirus aboard a cruise ship, while another three have since been airlifted from the liner and one is critically ill in a local hospital, reports TimesLIVE.
Authorities have confirmed the outbreak involves the Andes strain, which can be spread from person to people – as a new case was confirmed in a Swiss passenger who had disembarked from the ship before news of the outbreak.
Three passengers were medically evacuated yesterday (Wednesday), one of whom is apparently the ship’s doctor, according to NBC News, while the Swiss patient is in a Zurich hospital.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said that two of the evacuees had “acute symptoms” and had been transferred to specialised hospitals in Europe.
The Dutch-registered MV Hondius is a polar-rated expedition ship travelling from southern Argentina to the Canary Islands via Cape Verde, along Africa’s western coast. Reuters reports that it left Argentina about three weeks ago with around 150 passengers, and stopped in the Antarctic and other locations on its way to Cape Verde.
Hantavirus is a rodent-borne virus that can cause fatal respiratory illness.
Earlier this week, Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale said that while passing South African shores, some passengers had experienced serious health complications arising from what were initially considered severe acute respiratory infections.
“The first patient was a 70-year-old Dutch male passenger who suddenly developed fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.” The man died on arrival at the remote St Helena Island, and his remains are being repatriated to The Netherlands.
“The second affected passenger was his wife, (69), who collapsed at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg while trying to fly home to The Netherlands. She was taken to a hospital near Kempton Park but unfortunately died.”
Oceanwide Expeditions spokesperson Kiki Hirschfeldt told Daily Maverick the woman had only begun showing symptoms on her way to South Africa.
The third patient, a British man, became ill while the ship was sailing from St Helena to Ascension. Despite medical treatment at Ascension, his condition did not improve and he was evacuated to a private hospital in Sandton. He tested positive for hantavirus and remains in a critical condition in isolation.
The death of a third German passenger was confirmed by Oceanwide Expeditions. The body is still on the vessel, which is berthed off Cape Verde.
The WHO said that in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), it was working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited.
The Andes strain was confirmed by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
As of yesterday, there are eight known cases.
WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told a news conference that Hantavirus, unlike influenza or Covid-19, is only transmissible from person to person through close contact, such as sharing a bed or food
Oceanwide Expeditions said two infectious disease physicians were travelling to the vessel and would remain on it after its departure from Cape Verde, where it remains marooned because a local leader has opposed allowing the stricken vessel to dock in Spain.
Spain’s national government in Madrid had said that the Canary Islands would accept the ship and it could begin a three-to-four-day journey there – but the archipelago’s regional government opposed the move.
“We are unable to confirm the details of onward travel for guests at this stage…which is dependent on medical advice and the outcome of stringent screening procedures,” said Oceanwide Expeditions.
Hantavirus can be spread when droppings and urine of rodents become airborne, like when people sweep out sheds where mice have been living.
There are no specific drugs to treat hantavirus, so treatment focuses on supportive care, including putting patients on ventilators in severe cases.
Rare
Hantaviruses are endemic to rodents in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In 2014, a study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases revealed that of 2 544 small mammal specimens in South Africa screened for hantavirus, all had negative results. Of 1 442 human beings screened for antibodies, 14 tested positive, which was less than 1% of the population.
The first case of hantavirus in humans in this country was identified in 2021. The patient was a traveller who arrived in South Africa from Croatia, where the virus is endemic.
NBC News article – 3 passengers evacuated from cruise ship (Open access)
TimesLIVE article – Hantavirus on ship: No need to panic, says health department (Restricted access)
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