WHO Probes Possible Hantavirus Spread Among Passengers on Cruise Ship Off Cape Verde

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that rare human-to-human transmission of hantavirus may have occurred aboard a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 passengers. Three passengers died and at least four others became sick after the outbreak on the Dutch vessel MV Hondius, which remains off the coast of Cape Verde.

The U.N. health agency is investigating the incident and stressed that human-to-human transmission is uncommon, with low risk to the wider public. "We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins," Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the WHO, told reporters in Geneva.

"Some people on the ship were couples, they were sharing rooms so that's quite intimate contact," Van Kerkhove said.

The WHO reported Monday that laboratories confirmed two hantavirus infections, with five more suspected cases pending. Among the seven affected people, three died and one remains in intensive care in South Africa.

Humans typically contract hantavirus through contact with urine, droppings or saliva from infected rodents, the agency said. Limited human-to-human spread has occurred in past outbreaks of the Andes variant.

The ship had no rats aboard, according to the WHO, which assumes a deceased Dutch couple picked up the virus in Argentina before boarding. The vessel was on a weeks-long polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several isolated South Atlantic islands.

Authorities seek to link the cases and decide when sick passengers can disembark. The WHO said Monday that passengers must stay in cabins and limit risks during disinfection and other measures.

Van Kerkhove said the ship will continue to the Canary Islands. "We’re working with Spanish authorities, who will welcome the ship," she told reporters.