Cruise ship at centre of suspected hantavirus outbreak blocked from docking in Cape Verde

Officials say they will not authorise docking ‘to protect public health’ after deaths of three passengers What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship? Officials in Cape Verde have said they will not allow a cruise ship believed to be harbouring an outbreak of a rare respiratory virus to dock in its ports, after three passengers died. The statement on Monday came hours after global health officials said they were scrambling to investigate the suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents, on the cruise ship in the Atlantic. Continue reading... Officials say they will not authorise docking ‘to protect public health’ after deaths of three passengers Officials in Cape Verde have said they will not allow a cruise ship believed to be harbouring an outbreak of a rare respiratory virus to dock in its ports, after three passengers died.

The statement on Monday came hours after global health officials said they were scrambling to investigate the suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents, on the cruise ship in the Atlantic. The hantavirus is suspected of killing three people, including a married couple from the Netherlands, sickening at least two others on the ship and sending a 69-year-old British tourist to intensive care in South Africa . The cruise ship operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said the first passenger, a Dutch national, had died on 11 April and that the cause of death could not be determined onboard. Days later, the company said, it was informed that the woman, also a Dutch national, had become unwell and later died. It noted that hantavirus had not been confirmed in the two crew members.

Cape Verde health authorities said they had been monitoring the situation of the ship anchored off its coast and would not authorise its docking “with the aim of protecting national public health”. Cape Verde said it was in contact with authorities in the Netherlands and the UK about the Dutch-flagged ship. The MV Hondius, which left Argentina about three weeks ago, made headlines on Sunday after the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was involved in a “public health event” onboard. “Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.” South African officials said the British national had been sent to a private health facility in Johannesburg after falling ill near Ascension Island. South Africa’s health department confirmed that two of the victims were a Dutch couple.

The man, 70, had suffered from fever, headaches and stomach pains before he died on the ship. “This repatriation depends on many factors, including the authorisation and support of local Cape Verdean health authorities for the transfer of individuals requiring medical attention from MV Hondius.” The UK’s Foreign Office said it was closely monitoring reports of the suspected outbreak. “We are in touch with the cruise company and local authorities,” it said. While it is rare, hantavirus infections can spread between people, according to the WHO. The family of viruses made headlines last year after the actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died following a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.

In 2019, a hantavirus outbreak in southern Argentina killed at least nine people. Explore more on these topics Share Reuse this content Officials say they will not authorise docking ‘to protect public health’ after deaths of three passengers What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship? Officials in Cape Verde have said they will not allow a cruise ship believed to be harbouring an outbreak of a rare respiratory virus to dock in its ports, after three passengers died. The statement on Monday came hours after global health officials said they were scrambling to investigate the suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents, on the cruise ship in the Atlantic. Cruise ship at centre of suspected hantavirus outbreak blocked from docking in Cape Verde