The WHO reported that three people have died and three others are sickened in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship. CIDRAP has the news.
Only one of the cases has been laboratory confirmed, with the other five being simply suspected. One of the patients is in intensive care. Hantavirus can spread between people and “can lead to severe respiratory illness.”
The WHO estimates that “150 people, including passengers and crew, remain on the ship, which is anchored near Cape Verde. Passengers are being told to stay in their cabins while the ship is cleaned and sanitized.” This is the first known hantavirus outbreak associated with cruise ships. The virus is carried by rodents and infects humans via “inhalation of animal droppings and urine.” Person-to-person transmission has been reported, albeit rarely.
It is unknown which strain of hantavirus is to blame for this outbreak, but patients are reporting respiratory symptoms, suggesting a strain that infects the lungs. The Andes strain, found mostly in South America, could be the culprit, as it is “sometimes contagious person-to-person” and causes severe respiratory illness.
