How a deadly hantavirus outbreak unfolded on a cruise ship
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- A hantavirus outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius cruise ship, which sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic, resulting in three passenger deaths and multiple infections confirmed in South Africa and Switzerland.
- The initial case involved a 70-year-old Dutch man who fell ill on April 6 and died on April 11 in the South Atlantic; his wife also died after disembarking and becoming seriously ill.
- The virus identified is the Andes virus, a rare South American hantavirus that can spread via rodent droppings and, rarely, person-to-person; health experts consider the public risk low.
- The ship continued traveling, stopping at remote islands, with passengers and crew isolated onboard; contact tracing is underway across three continents as authorities investigate the outbreak's source.
- The Argentine government suspects the Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching trip in Ushuaia before boarding, but investigations remain ongoing.
