Three deaths aboard cruise ship. Is hantavirus contagious from human-to-human?
Hantavirus is suspected in the deaths of three people and illness of at least six others aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization reported May 3.
Hantaviruses are groups of viruses – microscopic organisms that infect hosts – transmitted by mice and rats. They can cause serious, sometimes fatal, illnesses in people. Hantavirus disease is considered rare, with 890 cases reported in the United States between 1993 and 2023.
“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases,” the organization announced on X.
The outbreak was reported aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which was traveling from Argentina to Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa's west coast. Of the six suspected cases, three patients have died and one was in intensive care in South Africa, WHO said.
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Almost 150 people remain on the vessel after the three victims − a Dutch couple and a German national − died and others fell ill, including a Briton who left the vessel and was being treated in South Africa, Reuters reported.
What is hantavirus and can it spread from person to person?
Hantavirus is primarily spread by mice and rats to people when they are exposed to rodent urine, droppings or saliva, and less commonly through scratches or bites. The virus does not spread easily from person to person.
Different hantaviruses are found in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, but they are not known to spread between people.
The virus can cause:
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a respiratory illness that can cause life-threatening heart and lung problems. Several strains can cause HPS.
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a severe and sometimes deadly disease that strikes the kidneys.
There are no specific drugs to treat the disease, so treatment focuses on supportive care, including putting patients on ventilators in severe cases.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the vessel, said the infections were under investigation. The company said a strain of the hantavirus was identified in one passenger who was medically evacuated from the cruise ship.
"Hantavirus has not been confirmed in the two symptomatic individuals currently on board," Oceanwide Expeditions said.
The World Health Organization, which also is investigating, said the risk to the wider public was low and there was no need for panic or travel restrictions. But Cape Verdi authorities said that as a precaution they had not allowed the ship to dock.
CONTRIBUTING Eve Chen, USA TODAY
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; World Health Organization; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Cleveland Clinic; Mayo Clinic