Three Dead in Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Headed to Canary Islands

Health officials worldwide monitor a hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch-flagged M/V Hondius cruise ship, now bound for Spain's Canary Islands. Eight cases are confirmed or suspected, with three deaths reported.

Hantaviruses spread to humans through contact with contaminated rodent waste or saliva. They cause severe pulmonary and respiratory distress, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak involves the Andes virus, the only hantavirus known for person-to-person transmission via prolonged close contact, officials said.

Investigations, contact tracing and isolation measures target citizens who left the ship during an April stop, plus passengers on a flight with one confirmed case, the World Health Organization reported. No one aboard now shows symptoms, operator Oceanwide Expeditions said Thursday.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters Thursday that ongoing public health efforts and the virus's long incubation period mean more cases could appear.

A 70-year-old Dutch man died on the ship April 11 after symptoms started April 6, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Hantavirus went unsuspected then due to resemblance to other respiratory illnesses; no samples were taken. He is now considered the first case.

His 69-year-old wife left April 24 at Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic, and died two days later in South Africa after deteriorating on a flight to Johannesburg. Tests confirmed Andes virus in her blood. The couple had bird-watched in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay before boarding April 1, areas with Andes-carrying rats, WHO said.

Contact tracing covers her flight companions from Saint Helena to Johannesburg. WHO works with countries of other Saint Helena disembarkers' nationalities, Tedros said.

A British man sought the ship's doctor April 24 with respiratory symptoms and pneumonia signs. His condition worsened by April 26; he was evacuated April 27 from Ascension Island to South Africa, where he remains in intensive care. Tests confirmed Andes virus, South African officials and WHO said. Van Kerkhove noted Thursday his health is improving after earlier critical status.

A German woman died on the ship May 2 after fever April 28 and pneumonia symptoms. Her body remains aboard, Oceanwide said.

Three people evacuated Wednesday flew to the Netherlands for care. A Dutch passenger and British crew member had symptoms and serious conditions but were stable Thursday, per Van Kerkhove. The third, a German passenger exposed to the deceased woman, showed no symptoms and has returned to Germany, WHO said.

A Swiss man who left at Saint Helena tested positive for Andes virus in Zurich, where he receives care after symptoms appeared. Swiss officials said his wife, also aboard, shows no symptoms but self-isolates.

WHO contacts officials in at least 12 countries monitoring Saint Helena returnees: Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Five U.S. states track returnees: two each in Georgia and Texas, one each in Arizona and Virginia, and an unspecified number in California. None show symptoms.

France identified eight nationals exposed to the Dutch woman on her flight. One has mild symptoms pending tests; others got isolation and testing offers, the health ministry said Thursday.