WHO confirms five cases of hantavirus linked to cruise ship

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed five cases of hantavirus linked to deaths on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The WHO also suspects three additional cases may be connected to the Andes strain of the virus.

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyeus, the head of the UN health agency, eight cases have been reported so far, including three fatalities and five confirmed cases. Three more cases are suspected but not yet confirmed.

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that can be transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their bodily fluids. The Andes virus strain detected on the Hondius cruise ship is known to cause severe disease in humans.

The WHO has received reports of passengers experiencing severe respiratory illness on the ship, which was traveling from Cape Verde to Tenerife. Eight cases have been reported, including three deaths and five confirmed cases.

In one instance, a man developed symptoms on April 6 and died five days later without samples being taken or hantavirus identified due to similar symptoms with other viruses. His wife and another woman also died after developing symptoms.

The WHO has informed several countries whose nationals disembarked in Saint Helena about the potential risk of hantavirus transmission. Argentina is investigating the movements of two passengers who had traveled to sites known to carry the virus before boarding the ship. The WHO has sent diagnostic kits to laboratories in five countries, including Argentina.

Source: Al Jazeera