The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that three people on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean have died, probably from hantavirus, a disease that can cause acute respiratory or kidney illness, often fatal.
The WHO told the AP that the investigation is ongoing, but that at least one case of hantavirus has been confirmed.
One of the patients is in intensive care in a hospital in South Africa, the UN health agency said, and it is working with authorities to evacuate two other symptomatic passengers from the ship.
Hantavirus infections are usually linked to exposure to the feces or urine of infected rodents, the WHO said.
The WHO did not identify the ship, but South African media reports said the outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius cruise ship as it sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa.
Global maritime website MarinTrafik said it was a Dutch-flagged cruise ship docked in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.
Although rare, hantavirus infections, of which there are several strains, are serious because there are no specific drugs or vaccines for them, and can progress from mild flu-like symptoms to life-threatening conditions within a few days.
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