Three people have died and three others are ill after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship off Cape Verde. WHO says one case has been confirmed, the wider public risk is low, and testing and evacuation work are continuing.
Three people have died in connection with a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, with authorities still working to confirm the full scale and source of the infections.
The World Health Organization said one hantavirus case has been laboratory-confirmed and that three other people are ill. One patient is in intensive care in South Africa, while the ship remains off Cape Verde as medical evacuation and investigation efforts continue.
WHO said the wider public risk remains low. It added that further testing and sequencing are underway to help establish how the outbreak began and whether there are any additional cases.
The outbreak was first reported by AP on May 3 and later confirmed in WHO-linked and Reuters reporting. While some reports have identified the dead as two Dutch nationals and one German national, authorities have not fully confirmed the identities across all reports.
The key questions now are where the infection was acquired and whether more illnesses emerge as the investigation continues.
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Initial automated publication.